Behind The Heart
by Alice J. Nightshade
Summary: Behind Alice's heart, is a broken one aching for someone she can't have. While someone else may love her, it isn't the same for her. And up above, Stayne is waiting for her, or for anything that will lure Alice back.   Sequel to Three Hearts and an Alice.
1. A New Chance

**Hello my friends who read the little note after Three Hearts and an Alice! Thanks to the help of one of my loyal and creative fans, (Thank you Sailor FoxFire) I have named this story, Behind the Heart. I hope you enjoy! Now chapter 1! **

Alice blinked, shaking her blonde head that still lay against the pillow as it had for three days. Three days of her staying in her room, claiming to be sick as cause for all the shocks and sudden turns from finding the new Hightopp.

For nearly seventy two hours Alice heard what happened behind her locked door, hearing the hesitant steps as a servant walked by, anxious to prevent her champions awakening. Other footsteps would also go along the other side of her door, louder ones that stopped and would knock on her door, asking if Alice was alright, then softer lighter steps and claiming that she would bring back some medicine for their champion if it might have helped, but Alice had a hunch that thee queen knew what was really bothering her.

And that was probably why she never _actually _left any potions or medicine for Alice after the sound of her footsteps disappeared. And for all that time, the one person that actually caused her to stay in bed, hadn't visited her once.

_He's probably with Irisa._ Alice assured herself. _She is her- _She couldn't even say it, that the Hatter was married. And happily married Art that. When Alice wasn't in bed, shed been watching people below her, scurrying around through the court yard and talking amongst themselves, whispers never floating up for Alice to hear.

While Alice was watching, she'd learn much about the servant's private lives while she spied. She realized that one girl, with short white hair cropped close to her shoulders was in love with a stable boy that was with one of the maids, who was also her friend. She'd learned that one of the gardeners was cheating on his wife with an aide to the queen, and who might have been with child, and all this strangely put a smile on Alice's hurt face.

The scurrying lives of the servants, reminded her of home, the pesky Gardner being Lowell and Market his patient oblivious wife. But besides the servants, she also saw Hatter and Irisa. They were walking along the garden, heads bent together with her arm linked with his and when they rounded the oak tree she leaned in for a passionate kiss that he didn't refuse. That was when Alice turned away and decided she should stop watching.

Alice sat up, shaking out her blonde curls and pulling off her covers quickly, and landing on the floor of her bedroom gracefully. She wasn't going to sit around as the Hatter grew happy with his new wife and she pinned over him from a distance. She was going to live her life, and she was gong to be happy.

She walked over to her closet and pulled out a white dress with blue trim along the neck line and skirt. It was beautiful, but some how made Alice want to cry. Hastily she tossed the dress down onto the bed and wiped the tears away. Being happy was going to be harder then she'd thought.

. . .

Ten minutes later Alice was walking out of her room, damp curls falling along her back softly from where she'd run her brush through them, the white dress trailing around her like a sail and her black flats slipped onto her feet.

She looked along the barren hallway, expecting for someone to hop out at her, a silly thought she knew but had expected none the less, and after a few seconds she knew no one knew that she'd emerged from her tomb.

She smiled and shut the door behind her, taking a step forward and then grabbing her stomach as it growled menacingly. She hadn't been eating anything but interesting Underlandian soups that been left for her by servants for the past three days, and now her stomach was craving food. With one last glance back at the door, the unspoken decision of returning back to her room, Alice turned and walked down the hallway, to the kitchen where food and possibly one of her friends were waiting.

. . .

With a grunt Stayne pushed out of the half way house he'd been staying at and scanned the road for anything that could lead him towards his goal.

Here, with his dark hair slicked back and his new green eyes, he'd be able to pass for any other gentleman on the street. Or, to Underland's champion, the Hatter.

He chuckled softly to himself, what a ludicrous idea it was that he could be such a man excuse for a man. He was one of the best knaves that Underland had ever known, he was clever, intelligent, and he knew every trick and every dirty shot needed in battle. Yet, he had fallen along with the red queen and was forced to stay with her until they'd broken the chain, or had it broken for them as the case may have been. He looked up at the sky, as if a new plan would fall out of the sky and land in the palm of his hand, but instead he would have to figure one out on his own.

Someone pushed passed him, and he whipped around, a hatful glare onto who ever had bumped into him as a wide eyed strawberry blonde woman gasped and apologized for not watching where she was going.

The knave wanted to strike her, but the action would cause unwanted attention that he might not have been able to free himself from, so instead he plastered on a warm fake grin and accepted her apology.

"I really don't know where my head is these days." She confessed, switching the bag in her right hand to her left, and glancing up at the Stanger nervously. "I'm just so worried about my sister, you must have heard, haven't you?"

The knave shook his head, staring at the young lady more intently; something about her was familiar, her complexion and the angle of her cheek bones reminded him of someone. "No, I haven't."

"She's missing." The girl admitted, a single tear sparkling down her cheek. "It's been nearly two days since she's been seen and her friend hasn't been seen either and…"

"Margret," A man called, and both Margret and Stayne looked, up to see a gentleman about her age jogging towards them, his brown hair slightly muffled from running. "I've been looking for you."

Margret nodded sleepily. "Sorry Lowell, you see I just bumped into this man and I was apologizing." She looked at her husband sadly. "He hasn't heard about, Alice."

_Alice. _That's who this girl reminded him of, she must be her sister. He grinned mischievously and turned to Lowell. "I'm quite sorry to hear about your wife's sister. Do you think that you might give me her description? If I see anyone like that, I'll be sure to tell you."

The couple described the way Alice looked to the stranger and where they lived if he found anything, and finally they parted ways. But as they did, Lowell turned back and called to the once knave. "Excuse me sir but I don't believe I caught your name!"

Stayne smiled and turned around, calling back to Lowell. "It's Tarrant!" His wicked grin widened. "Tarrant Hightopp."

**Dun, dun, DUN! Cliff hangers are so much fun and I'm not giving up now! I'm officially back and I hope you are at the edge of your seats with anticipation! I am! Review, please!**


	2. The White Queen's Tale

**Ta-da! Sorry I disappeared forever, it's been a long couple of weeks but I am totally back now and obviously posting! Enjoy, and don't hate me to much! **

Alice pushed the door open to the kitchen cautiously. She inclined her head in for a moment, quickly darting her gaze around anything and everything that might move or speak then took a long sigh at her finding that she was alone.

Taking a full step into the room, she remembered the first time that she'd entered here, when the March Hare was making soup that needed salt and Mirana had created a quick patch of pishalver for her to return to her normal size. Things had been so much…easier back then, but now she was sneaking about for reasons that even she didn't fully understand. She approached the counter, her ivory hand trailing along the spotless top and stood where the white queen usually did.

"I'm worried about her, your highness." A familiar voice admitted And Alice's head snapped up, while footsteps came closer to the kitchen. Without thinking Alice ducked, crawling on her hands and knees and hiding under the enclave part of the counter. It was large enough for Alice to sit in, pulling her knees close to her chest and trying to make herself as small as possible as people entered the kitchen.

"It's been three days," He continued, his voice much more clearly now that he was in the same room as her. "What could she be doing in there?"

"A young lady's mind is a complicated thing, Nicholas. Mirana explained, and Alice could detect the wistful smile in her voice as she told him this matter of fact. The bottom half of the queen's dress appeared in front of Alice as Mirana leaned over the counter to whisper something into Nicholas' ear that Alice couldn't hear.

"Your right about that." Nicholas agreed with a sigh. "Do you think she's angry at her?"

Mirana was silent for a moment and move something along the counter top and dropped something else into a mysterious liquid with a plop. "Complicated, Nicholas."

"What is that?" Nicholas asked, with disgust as much as curiosity.

"Crushed butterfly wings." Mirana replied as she sprinkled something else and took a step forward then a quick step back. "Nicholas, would you mind doing something for me?"

"Yes, of course your highness." Nicholas answered immediately. "Anything."

"Would you please go outside toward the garden and find me a fuchsia colored rose?" Mirana asked sweetly. "It's for some medication I'm, preparing for Alice and it's a very important ingredient. And mind you it must be the exact shade of fuchsia, no other color will do."

"Alright." Nicholas answered, footsteps echoing away as he jogged to the door and shut it behind him. Once his footsteps faded into the distance Mirana crouched down and smiled at Alice.

"That should keep him busy for sometime." She said mischievously. "Shouldn't it?"

Alice smiled back at the queen and climbed out from under her hiding space, shaking out her blonde curls and standing where Nicholas had been previously occupying, while the quite queen picked up a small sliver spoon and scooped it up with the liquid that shed been playing with and held it out for Alice to taste.

Wit a moment's hesitation Alice took a swallow full of delicious tasting juice and smiled. "I'm glad he didn't ask why you needed a flower." Alice admitted. "I'm not looking forward to the conversation we're going to have."

"Oh?" Mirana wondered, raising a delicate, dark eye brow. "Are you two fighting?"

Alice shook her head. "Quite the opposite actually." She leaned her head to the left on her arm, her hand resting under her cheek and frowned. "I'd thought that when I'd return to Wonderland…well…"

"Everything would be better?" Mirana suggested, studying a vile of bright blue liquid and tossing it's continents into the bowl.

"Yes," Alice admitted. "But it seems like everything falling apart."

Mirana nodded softly then leaned in, inhaling deeply at the smoky aroma from her concoction and looked at Alice with a sympathetic look. "Sometimes that's the way life is. It's uncontrollable and unpredictable." She smiled and mirrored Alice's action from across the counter. "Did you know that I never wanted to be queen?"

Alice gasped and sat yup straighter. "No, never. I thought…"

Mirana smiled. "That I always knew I was eventually going to be queen?" She shook her head gracefully. "No, not when I was growing up. You see, my sister is a year older then I am, so from the moment I could talk I'd always known that she was going to eventually be queen. And I'd accepted that.

"When I was growing up I'd wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to make a difference like my sister was going to when she was older." The white queen smiled fondly at the memory. "Se was much different then the woman she was today, she was kinder and sweeter, but then." The queen shook her head. "Things started to change, and I knew something bad was going to happen.

"Then, it was Iracebeth's eighteenth birthday. We planned out a grand party; everyone in the kingdom was invited because it was the day that she was going top be crowned queen of Underland. And then, my father walked up on stage."

Alice was mesmerized by the queen's story. It was as if she could see it plainly in her mind. She'd imagined a grand ball, and a teenage version of Mirana and Iracebeth. And now it was the moment that she knew what was going to happen.

"He thanked everyone for attending." Mirana continued. "And wished my sister a happy birthday, and then said that sadly though this might not be one of her favorites. He told everyone that with a heavy heart, they'd decided that Iracebeth would not be Queen of Underland, and instead I would be."

"She must have been furious." Alice said sadly, imagining, very hard considering it was the wicked red queen of course, how awful it must have been for the red queen.

Mirana nodded. "She was, and I was too. All my dreams of being a doctor vanished, and I would have to learn the things that Iracebeth knew b y heart."

"And now?" Alice asked curiously.

"Now, I'm happier then I ever thought possible." The white queen said with a smile, and explained at the sight of Alice's confused expression. "I can help the sick and injured better then any doctor could, and I can help rule with the grace and strength that my parents did."

"What happened to them?" Alice asked.

Mirana sighed, her smiling vanishing, and she looked sadder then Alice had ever seen her before. "When my sister over through me, they were the first to…to lose their heads."

Alice's eyes widened and she placed a hand over Mirana's sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

Mirana gave her a small smile. "Thank you. But the reason I told you this story was to prove a point. In life, things may not always go the way we wish, but in the end well end up in a better place then we thought possible, and we'll be happy. You'll be happy, Alice."

It was that moment, that Alice saw the queen in a new way. She'd always seen the queen as elegant and collected, and now she saw her as strong too. And brave, more brave then Alice and possibly, if she hadn't had her vows, brave enough to have slayed the jabberwocky herself.

"Thank you." Alice said, as someone pushed open the door to the kitchen and both ladies turned to see who'd walked in.

"Alice!" Two surprised voices said in unison, belonging to none other then the Hightopp couple.

**So, you like Mirana's little back story? I did. But I dislike STILL Alice and Hatter not being together. Oh well, c'est la vie. Please review if you haven't disappeared like I did. Love you all, fairfarren! **


	3. Wicked Planning

**Chapter 3! I'm back! And I swear I will not disappear again, long story about my disappearance at the end, but now enjoy! **

Alice put on the best smile she could as Irisa walked in, hand in hand with the Hatter.

They hadn't spoken since their kiss, but she could still feel the tingling sensation, maximized where his lips pressed against hers. It was something that she'd hope that she'd never forget.

"You're finally out!" Irisa exclaimed and Alice blinked realizing that Irisa was right in front of her. "We've been waiting you know."

"Sorry," Alice murmured, leaning against the counter and keeping her eyes pinned on Irisa, never letting them once stray towards the Hatter. "I haven't been feeling well."

"That's awful." Irisa said, turning to face the Hatter who'd papered right next to her silently, his yellow eyes fixed on Alice. "Do you think we should still ask?"

"Ask me what?" Alice asked, turning her gaze towards the Hatter now, even though her mind was still dead set against it.

"Irisa wanted to know," Hatter started his voice less calm than Alice expected. "If you'd be able to-"

"Help me plan a party." Irisa finished her smile widening. "I've always wondered what a party in the above words was like, and we haven't had a party in forever."

"What are we celebrating?' Mirana asked, her arms poised up again and all lack of grace disappearing from her body.

"What's not to celebrate?" Irisa asked. "Our champion is back safe, along with her dear friend. Two long departed sisters have been reunited, and of course." She placed her hand back in Tarrant's who didn't object. "Love. It's the perfect time for a party, right Alice?"

Alice shrugged, staring at the floor. "You know, Irisa. The parties in London weren't really that much fun, and I don't feel much in the partying mood now…"

"Who isn't in the partying mood?" Nicholas asked appearing in the doorway covered in grass stains and with a few leaves stuck in his hair. His eyes widened when they saw Alice and a wide goofy smile etched across his face while he ran at her and swept her in his arms. "Alice? When did you get out? I thought you'd be in there forever."

Alice shrugged and returned Nicholas' hug. "I haven't really been feeling well…"

Nicholas nodded, releasing her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "I know, and now you're feeling better, right?"

"I hope she is." Irisa said, shooting Alice a hopeful expression, her wide but nervous smile still gleaming. "And hopefully, she's going to help me plan a grand party."

"Really?" Nicholas asked, turning back to Alice with a soft smile. "You're going to help Irisa plan a party?"

"Actually," Hatter interrupted, smiling at his wife wearily. "Alice hasn't accepted your offer to help yet."

"Oh," Irisa nodded and everyone turned back to Alice, Irisa with a pleading expression, Nicholas equally as hopeful, the queen with a knowing look, and the Hatter with something Alice didn't quite understand.

"Um…" Alice looked down at her hands and then back up at her friends. "Alright Irisa, but first I need to get something from my room." _And get out of here as soon as possible _Alice added silently, walking around her friends and to the door. "I'll be back in a moment, alright?"

She pushed open the door and ran into the hallway, not bothering to look back and leaned down against the wall around her. Why did she want to help Irisa, she had no idea how to plan a ball, especially to plan one for Underland, and now she couldn't back down.

Alice raised her head, as footsteps started to echo down along the hallway that she'd just walked down. She raised her head, expecting to see Nicholas or another one of the queen's servants, but instead she saw Irisa, running down straight towards Alice.

. . .

"How long are you staying in London, Tarrant?" Lowell asked, pouring himself and his guest a cup of brandy. "If you don't mind my asking."

"Not at all." Stayne replied, through slightly clenched teeth. "I've been here for a few days, but the halfway house I'm staying in I hope isn't a permanent place for me to stay." He sighed. "It's quite hard being a traveler, no family, no place to stay, no….friends."

"Oh, that's tragic." Margret said, with a sad expression, placing a hand on her husbands arm affectionately, though absent mindedly. "I can't believe how you manage to live like that."

"It's not hard." Stayne admitted, giving the couple his saddest expression. He was a better actor then he'd thought, and once he realized that the couple was dimwitted enough to let him inside their home, hew knew he could get them to be eating out of the palm of his hand in minutes. "But, I must confess, it has been nice to have a change in pace." He sighed and shrugged as if to say, what can you do? "No one has ever been truly kind to me since I came here. London is quite the strange place, compared to the other places I've traveled."

"Really?" Lowell asked, his curiosity trying to be mild but burned behind his deep brown eyes. "Where _have _you visited?"

"Anywhere, and everywhere." Stayne replied nonchalantly, sipping his brandy and waiting out his answer just enough that he could keep his new found acquaintances on the edge of their seats. "But, the mostly recent place was a place I can call my home."

"And where is that?" Lowell inquired, his eyes still unbelievably curios about his new guest and friend.

"A strange and beautiful place." Stayne explained, putting his glass on the table and leaning forward on his arm. "A place that would capture your interest like nothing else, a place where curiosity rains and is as beautiful as it is deadly. A," He looked over at Margret for a moment before he moved his gaze back before either of them noticed. "Wonderland, so to speak."

Margret gasped, now she'd finally put the pieces that Stayne had been skillfully laying for her. "Is it….reachable, from here?"

Stayne grinned, a wicked and malicious grin and gave her a soft nod. "It's closer then you believe."

**So, why has our beloved author Night-Alice disappeared for so long, well I shall tell you. A whole lot of stuff has been going on in my life that is much out of my control, and not just x-mas stuff and school. Sadly, this week I lost one of my closest pets,(R.I.P. Fluffy the Cat) and I haven't been in the mood to writer, but I cannot just let this die! And now I is back! So please read, if you haven't disappeared too. Review! **


	4. Lost And Oblivious

**Chapter 4! Enjoy! **

"Alice!" Irisa said breathlessly, skidding to a stop a few feet away from her target and turned around to jump back to Alice's side with a wide but shy smile. "I want to talk to you."

"Alright?" Alice said, standing up straighter and crossing her arms defensively over her chest. The last time she'd had a one on one conversation with Irisa, she'd been pinned to the floor. This time, she was more prepared. "What do you want to talk about?"

Irisa shrugged, clasping both hands in front of her and rocking back on her heels. "Do you mind taking a walk with me back to your room?"

"Okay." Alice replied, walking down the hallway with Irisa in step, as an awkward silence befell the two girls.

Then, as they neared her bedroom door, Irisa stepped in front of Alice and wrapped her arms around her in a long, tight embrace. Curiously, and shocked Alice stood their, arms pinned to her side by Irisa's and waited for the girl to finish and after a few minutes Irisa released her, but her hands still lingered on Alice's shoulders.

"Thank you, Alice." Irisa said warmly, looking if she'd wanted to give Alice another hug. "Thank you, so much."

Alice blinked, was she that grateful that Alice accepted her party planning idea, or was their some other thank you hiding beyond Alice's grasp. "Excuse me?"

"I know, this is a little delayed." Irisa admitted, releasing Alice's shoulders and fidgeting with her hands. "But, I really ought to thank you."

"Why?" Alice asked. "What have I-"

"What haven't you done?" Irisa asked, turning around and walking around Alice nervously as if she were prey that would attack. "You've helped me so much, and I haven't even given you a proper thank you. And I couldn't believe I'd let my actions of how we'd met stay without a proper explanation." She turned back to Alice and grasped her hands in front of hers. "You are truly the kindest and mercifulness and strongest person I've ever met." She curtsied low for Alice and bowed her head. "And I am forever in your debt."

Alice swallowed a lump that had suddenly arisen in her throat. "I-"

"No, don't say anything yet." Irisa interrupted. "I have more to say." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if she were reciting a poem that she knew by heart. "You changed my whole outlook on life, Alice. You saved me, from a life of being trapped up in that room and becoming a cold, heartless being like the woman that kept me locked up, and showed me that if I trust people, then things can go the way I want them too." She opened her rainbow eyes that shone brightly with fierce determination. "I would have never found Tarrant or this place on my own, and it was all because of you, so. I guess what I'm trying to say is….well. Thank you, for everything, Alice. You're a true friend."

Alice blinked, and then blinked again, and again before a small smile broke across her face. "Thank you Irisa, but I haven't really done anything. And, think that you are one too. A true friend, I mean."

Irisa's smile grew wider and she threw her arms around Alice again, burying her face in Alice's soft blonde curls. "We're going to be the best of friends." Irisa whispered, before pulling back and squeezing her hand one lastly time. "Find me outside, alright? We have a lot to discuss about the party." She smiled again and turned, skipping down the hallway liker a school girl, and finally disappearing behind a corner, leaving Alice only the odd Irisa-y scent of Irises and cherry blossoms.

"She's an energetic one, isn't she?" A voice next to her purred, and was one of the many people Alice didn't want to see, and maybe she wouldn't, if the cat decided to be invisible.

"Go away Chess." Alice mumbled, as she walked down the rest of the hallway to her bedroom and pulled the door open and shut without a second look back at the cat.

"That's no way to treat your guest." The cat said with a grin, appearing on top of her bed, and cocking his head to the side. "Why Alice, I didn't know that white was your color. I thought it was only blue."

Alice rolled her eyes, and pulled open the door. "I'm not in the mood, Chess." She pointed to the door, sternly. "Out."

The Cheshire cat rolled his eyes and his head appeared inches away from Alice's. "Someone isn't happy, what's on your mind, love?"

"There's an annoying cat in my room that refuses to go away." She retorted, ducking under his head and walked over to her closet, pulling through random cloths and knelt down, to push through the many pairs of shoes on the floor.

_It's not here. _Alice thought bitterly, pushing back another rack of dresses and flinching when she saw Chessur's glowing teal eyes staring back at her.

"Hiding in the closet?" The cat smiled, and his body appeared along with his eyes, but he remained hidden in the low light of the closet except for the glow of his eyes.

"I'm looking for something, actually." Alice stood and shut the door behind her, knowing that the Cheshire cat was already out and probably watching her from another part of the room.

"And what, pray tell, are you looking for?" The cat asked, sure enough leaning on his furry elbow on the railing of the balcony. Somehow in the twelve seconds it took for him to disappear and reappear, he'd gotten the balcony door open and was now staring at Alice with a playful expression that she didn't return.

"My book." Alice replied nonchalantly, running a hand through her hair before she started searching through the drawers of a vanity she never used. _Maybe one of the maids put it in here,_ she thought, frantically pulling them open and shutting them after barley glancing at its continents. When the cat didn't respond Alice sighed, still pulling through the vanity. "The book that I wrote everything about Underland in?"

"Oh," Chess replied, raising an eyebrow and Alice turned around to face him.

"Oh?" Alice repeated, walking over to the Cat. "What does that mean?"

Chessur smiled, and raised his tail. Alice, instantly knowing what he was about to do, raised her hand to stop him, but he was already gone. A thin veil of smoke the only thing left, proving that the disappearing cat had once been there.

"Figures," Alice said to herself, leaning along her balcony and staring out into the Underland sky, painted a bright blue color, brighter then the sky in London would ever be. "Disappearing without telling me anything, very helpful Chess."

Someone knocked at her door, hesitantly at first then a bit more persistently, and Alice sighed, loudly.

_It has to be, Irisa._ Alice thought, annoyingly. _Probably wondering why I haven't met her outside yet. Or maybe Nicholas… _

But before she could wonder what could have happen if it was Nicholas at her door, a voice cleared behind her, and Alice found herself less then five feet away, with the man with the hauntingly beautiful green eyes.

**Cliff hanger! How annoyed are you? Very? I would hope so. Being annoyed makes it hard to forget things, seriously, it does. And now I'm randomly talking, I need to work on that, loll. Review! And thank you for the condolences about my cat, they're really sweet :). **


	5. Unimaginable Hurt

**Chapter 5, and you will all be annoyed at me. Don't hate me! Enjoy!**

"Hatter?' Alice asked doubtfully. They hadn't spoken since their kiss, and Alice knew that would ever they had to say to each other might not be pleasant, especially since she'd been watching them together for the past three days.

The Hater smiled, a shy gapped tooth smile that uncontrollably sent chills up her spine. "I've been waiting for you to come out of your tower."

Alice sighed, and relaxed, hearing his voice directly toward her was like a relaxer, it made everything that happened in the last few days fall away, so that it was only Alice and Hatter, no one else in Underland but them. "I haven't been feeling well."

The Hatter nodded, and walked towards her, his dazzling green eyes never leaving Alice. Up close, she could see that he had slight dark moons under his eyes, and his cloths were a bit dimmer then Alice remembered, even his fiery hair that always stood up around his shoulders like wild fire seemed a bit more, tame even with his mad and signature hat atop his head.

"I hope you're alright now." He said warmly, his smile widening when Alice's own mouth copied his. "Things just haven't been as lively without your muchness."

Alice sighed, and turned, facing the horizon again, remembering how in every other time that they'd met on the balcony, things never were that easy. The first, she'd told him how he wasn't real, and how that when she'd wake up, this would all disappear, even thought hat in the end they were both smiling. And the other time, Alice had fallen off the balcony, and somewhere deep inside her, she knew that the pattern wasn't going to change today. "I haven't been able to find my muchness."

The Hater's smile faded, and he turned to Alice, and feeling his gaze on her, she kept hers pinned on the distant mountains in front of her. Out of reach, just like she wanted to be right now.

"Alice…" The Hatter whispered, his voice trailing off as she turned back to him, her face impassive as her smile turned into a frustrating frown. Why weren't things so easy right now? Before she'd returned everything was simple, nothing was complicated but now, she could barely talk to him without wanted to kiss him or run away. And from the look on Hatter's face, she knew it wasn't that much easier for him.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Alice blurted out, and as much as she wanted to take the words back, she couldn't.

The Hatter lowered his head, his head hiding the color of his eyes and his facial expression from her, and Alice was glad of it. It made it easier for her to talk to him when she couldn't see his face. "I thought she'd died."

"I told you when I was engaged." Alice told him. "And you were….but you never told me. Didn't you ever think what would happen if-"

"I thought they were all dead!" The Hatter yelled, his Scottish accent clipping each word, and Alice took a step back at his sudden yell. His eyes were dark orange, a color she'd never seen turn to her, but now were blazing a few inches away from her own solemn and scared brown eyes. "I thought she was dead, Alice. Can't you understand that you stupid-"

"I don't know!" Alice shouted back. "But, what do you think I should do? After we…after…" She looked down at her hands and willed herself to look up, to yell and scream but she couldn't. She wasn't angry at the Hatter, nor was she angry at Irisa. She was angry at herself. For falling in love with the Hatter, for bring Nicholas along to help complicate things and for even coming down to this world when she was young. But know, she needed to know the truth.

"Do you still love her?" She asked in a quiet voice.

The color in the Hatter's eyes faded. "What?"

"Do you still love her?" Alice repeated louder. "Do you still have any feelings for her? And did you have them when you kissed me?"

The Hatter sighed, and shook his head softly. "I'm sorry, Alice." He said regretfully. "I'm so sorry, but I-"

"Even when you knew you loved her, you kissed me." Alice snapped. "You were a married man, but you still lead me on!"

"Lead you on?" The Hatter retorted. "What about having you and Nicholas together? Every time I looked at you, you were with him, Alice. How could I have know that you and he weren't-"

"I told you, we never did!" Alice yelled. "And Nicholas is my best friend, Irisa is your wife! And you knew it when you kissed me!"

"How could I have known if you had feelings for him?" The Hatter asked, his Scottish broad, returning and skimming along the edges of his voice. "He obviously has feels for you."

"Because you should know that I love you!" Alice snapped, loudly. "And obviously, you don't!"

"Excuse me?" The Hatter growled, his Scottish broad returning quicker this time. "I kissed you because-"

"You're married, and you still have feels for your wife!" Alice screamed. "You can't have both of us, and you've already made decision!"

The Hatter shook his head. "I thought I did, and now I obviously have."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Then why are you still here?"

He glared at Alice and shook his head. "You really are the most stubborn, oblivious-"

"If I'm so oblivious, then why do I know that you picked her, and have been kissing her for the past few days." At Hatter's shocked expression she continued. "I'm not stupid to know that you love her and you're just trying to be selfish and keep me because-"

Then the Hatter snapped, finally losing any self control he had left, and screamed at Alice so loudly, that anyone in the castle could have heard him. "I wish you'd never returned here, Alice!"

Alice took a step back. "What?"

"I wish you'd never returned to Underland." The Hatter continued, screaming at Alice. Each word like a slap across her cheeks that now had tears running down them. "Because then I would never have known how truly dimwitted and oblivious you are. You only care about yourself, and been causing pain to everyone around you, but you don't care. You are a selfish brat that thinks because you're the champion; you can do no wrong, right? I've risked my life for you, but you don't care because you are that stupid!"

At the last word, the Hatter finally looked at her. Her face was paler then she'd ever seen, and now he realized it was because of him, and he had just hurt he worse then he'd ever seen anyone hurt before. "Alice…" His voice broke on the word and he offered her his hand. "I…I didn't mean…"

"No," Her voice was steady, even though her body was shaking uncontrollable. "You did mean it. And you're right; maybe I shouldn't have come back. Because no one, has ever hurt me in London."

"No," The Hatter whispered, "Alice, I-"

"No." Alice whispered, then louder, taking steps back and then finally turning around and running out the door, while the Hatter just watched as the girl he loved and the girl he'd choose in any situation, leave him, after he'd said the words that he'd never be able to take back.

**Dun, Dun, Dun. Dramatic huh? That's why it's so addicting. So, if you are unbelievably mad at me, don't be too harsh. You know you love it! Review, please! **


	6. Lost

**Chapter 6, and I feel like it isn't one of my best….sorry. enjoy! **

Mirana was reading in her library when Irisa found her.

She'd been reading in one of her many books that dominated the walls of her library when a soft knock on her door made her look up and call for her knocker to enter.

She was surprised to see it was Irisa, who always seemed hesitant to go to the queen but now Irisa was walking up to her quickly and sat down on the chair in front of the queen's desk without a second thought.

"Irisa," Mirana said pleasantly, skillfully hiding the surprise behind her warm voice. "What a pleasant surprise."

Irisa gave her a shy smile. "I wish I could give you more pleasant news your highness."

Mirana raised a dark eyebrow. "Why? What's wrong?"

"It's Alice." Irisa admitted. "I've was waiting for her outside by the place steps, near the garden for over an hour, and she hadn't shown up. So, I walked inside to look for her and I heard two servants talking. They said that they'd heard the worst argument between the champion and a man, so I was worried."

Irisa took a deep breath and clasped her hands in her lap. "I knocked on the door, and it opened up, and I saw that no one was inside. So, I got even more worried and then I saw Tarrant." She shut her eyes. "I've never seen him so….so…defeated. He looked like if the world ended, he wouldn't care and then he told me that Alice wasn't in the castle anymore."

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about that." Mirana explained. "I'm sure Alice is just taking a ride on the Bandersnatch to blow off some steam."

Irisa shook her head and opened her rainbow eyes, they were filled with sadness. "But, that's just it your majesty. She didn't take the Bandersnatch, she didn't take Nicholas either."

"So…" Mirana shook her head. "Irisa, you don't believe that she would…"

"I do your highness." Irisa admitted. "I think she might have run away."

. . .

"You have to be mad." Lowell snapped, slamming his hands on the table between himself and Stayne. Margret was still staring at their guest with fixed attention, but Lowell wasn't going to stand for it a moment longer. "You're truly mad."

Stayne smiled. "I wish I was, but the proof is right their in front of you."

"I just can't believe it." Margret mused, staring at Stayne with a wide eyed expression. "How did you even end up there?"

Stayne shrugged. "It's an amusing story, but I'll tell you that once I was there, it was hard to leave."

"I just can't believe that you met the queen of her homeland." Lowell said again. "How did you even have the chance to meet her?"

"I'd been walking the streets, seeing the sights, and just getting the lay of the land when I saw someone running away from the castle." He explained, forming the grandest lie off the top of his head. The larger the lie, the more they'd want to hear, and that was how he wanted it. "And then, I heard one of her soldiers scream that he was a thief." He shrugged. "What happened next was just fate, he ran in front of me and I tackled him. He had stolen one of her most priceless gems, so when he was under custody, we met and she said that I could keep it, in her memory. And as you can see," Stayne gestured to the rainbow colored gem that sat on the table. It was the size of his fist, and would surly impress anyone in this world, even though in Underland it wasn't worth much. "For the next few years, I stayed with her as her royal body guard, making sure that no thief, assassin, or anyone that posed threat to her highness ever got near her, again."

"Amazing." Lowell breathed his eyes wide. "I must learn more about this country, where did you say it was again?"

Stayne smiled. "It's a bit north from here, not that far if you know where to go, and I can tell you it's an amazing place to visit."

Margret nodded, turning to her husband with a hopeful expression. "I wonder if we'll ever get to visit their Lowell."

Lowell nodded, "Maybe." He looked out the window, lamp light could be seen from across the street, cutting through the dark dusk that had settled over the London Street. "It's getting late, Margret." He turned to his wife in a joking manor. "Do you think it's time you started dinner?"

Margret nodded, standing and smiling at her husband's playful joke, and rolled her eyes playfully. "Of course. Tarrant, are you staying for dinner?"

"Yes, Tarrant." Lowell agreed, placing a hand on Margret's shoulder and coking his head to the side slightly. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Stayne stood, running a hand through his dark brown hair and gave the couple a warm smile. "Oh, I wouldn't want to impose. I still have to get back to the halfway house," He sighed, running his hand through his jacket pockets. "I hope Miss. Moon won't add more to my room if I'd forgotten my key. She loved adding the extra rent to travelers."

"Miss. Moon?" Margret repeated, shaking her head. "I know her, my sister and I used to have to cross her street on the way to school every morning. She's a witch, she is."

"You should stay here." Lowell suggested, walking up behind his new found friend and putting an arm around his bock, pulling him towards the upstairs guest room. 'I can't imagine a nice man like you having to stay in that witch's halfway house."

"Really?" Stayne asked, making his eyes go wide. "I wouldn't want to…impose."

"Lowell waved his other hand in the air. "Think nothing of it, Tarrant. You can stay here until you find a place of your own."

Stayne smiled at his friend fondly. "Why thank you, Lowell. I don't think I've met someone as nice as you." He turned to Margret and gave her a small bow. "And you too, Margret." He grinned, and turned back to Lowell. "Tomorrow, I'll go pack my things and bring them here, alright?"

The couple nodded and spoon their guest disappeared upstairs, leaving them alone. And once the door upstairs shut, Lowell ran towards Margret and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Margret smiled,laying her head on her husbands shoulder absentmindedly as she picked up a tea kettle and set it on the stove. "Do you think he'll tell us more about that land he's from?"

Lowell shrugged and looked down at his wife. Nearly a year ago he'd been caught by her sister kissing one of his dear friends, and now he realized the error of his ways. In the previous year, he'd really gotten to know his wife, and knew the look on her face was a determined one. "Margret….Is there something on your mind?"

Margret shrugged, still staring down at the ea kettle in front of her. "It's nothing Lowell. I just think that maybe…"

"Margret," He said sternly, turning her around to face him. "You don't think that maybe,"

"I don't know, Lowell." She admitted, staring towards the ceiling where Stayne might be. "But, I do want to find out."

Since the couple was too involved with curiosity of what if, their suspicious making their imaginations grow bigger, neither of them heard their guest, laughing at his well baited trap.

**The end! Was it as bad as I thought? Please review! **


	7. Hidden Truths

**Chapter 7! Enjoy! **

Alice ran.

She ran out the back door of the palace, the first door she'd seen and ran past the gardens and the stables. She could hear the Bandersnatch growl slightly when she whipped past, but she didn't have time for him, plus she knew she wasn't going to go that far.

At least, that was what she'd thought when she'd first gone outside. But then, she couldn't stop running. She wanted to put as much distance between herself and the Hatter, his words still stinging fresh in her mind.

No matter how much she ran, it wasn't good enough,. She needed to get away from him; get away from all the pain and all the hurt that he'd caused her. Get away from, love. But as impossible as it was, it wasn't enough to make Alice stop.

A branch stuck out in front of her, and she feel, plummeting into the dirt and leaves along the forest floor. Her ankle stung, and her dress was covered in dirt and ripped, but she still didn't care. She sat up, wincing at the pain in her ankle that was surly twisted or sprained, and looked around her.

Tall black trees surrounded her, none that spoke, just ruffled as the wind looped through their leaves and trunks. It looked like a place that the Cheshire cat might inhabit, but this place was much more sinister and dark. And the other difference between Chess's woods and this, was that here, Alice was utterly and completely alone.

. . .

"The search parties go as follows." Mirana told her subjects, standing on the small platform at the front of her throne room. "Chessur, Mally and Thackery, you'll check the tea table." As they exited, she turned to a group of soldiers awaiting orders. "You five will check my sister's castle." She turned to a next group. "The Gardens, if you please." And finally she turned to address he rest of the group. 'The rest of you can search the castle grounds, she wouldn't be able to get very far so she might be here." As everyone started to leave, she caught glimpse of the Hatter who was staring at Irisa wordlessly while she scolded him like a child.

"They're a pair, aren't they?" Nicholas asked, appearing next to Mirana on the steps below her platform. .

Mirana smiled softly, nodding as Irisa rolled her eyes and grabbed the Hatter's hand, dragging him towards the exit with the rest of the search partiers. "Why aren't you going with them?"

"Me?" Nicholas asked. "Because they might be fighting and I really don't want to get in the middle of it."

"No," Mirana watched as the rest of the searchers left. "Why aren't you going with the rest of them, to search for Alice?"

Nicholas shrugged, and looked out the window as if he was seeing something that only he could. "I think I already know where she is."

Mirana raised an eyebrow. "Then why don't you find her?"

Nicholas' lips quirked up at the ends. "Because, she won't want me to."

Mirana gave Nicholas a solemn nod and turned around, walking towards the long window that dominated the back wall of the room and gazed out of it. Beyond the glass, she could see her servants running aimlessly throughout the castle grounds, each in search for their champion and hoping to be the one to find her.

"I think she would," Mirana told him, cocking her head softly to the side.

"What?" Nicholas asked curiously, appearing at her side.

"I think you might want to find her, Nicholas." The queen said softly, staring out into the woods just beyond where her servants searched. "She's been through a lot these past few days, and I think now is the time that she may need a friend the most." She turned to Nicholas and placed a pale hand on his ram. "Need, you the most."

Nicholas nodded, and turned, walking down the steps and to the door, knowing that her words were right and that he needed to find her before it was too late. But first he turned around, staring at the queen one last time before shutting the door behind him with a thump.

. . .

"Do you know where she might go?" Irisa asked, pushing a few branches back and ducking under them while her husband followed.

The Hatter didn't answer her, just kept walking straight as Irisa skipped in front of him, carelessly. She paused, turning around and cocking her head curiously to the side, since she'd heard the fight with Alice, he seemed so sad, but why? Was he sad that he hadn't been able to help his friend when she was sad?

"Tarrant?" Irisa asked, stepping in front of him, while he stared blankly ahead. "Tarrant, are you alright?"

His blue eyes finally focused on her, Irisa with her pale skin and long dark hair tat hung down her back like a dark curtain. Whose high cheek bones and soft, playful smile used to make his own break out when he saw it. And whose eyes had haunted him for years of what could have been, until he fell hard for Alice. She'd returned, and he thought he was as ecstatic as she was, but he wasn't. He was heart broken, now more so then ever.

Irisa sighed, brining Hatter back to the present and placed a hand on his cheeks, gazing into his deep solemn blue eyes.

"I know why you're upset." Irisa whispered, lowering her gaze, and then looking back at him through dark lashes. "But you can't beat yourself up for it. I don't know who yelled at Alice, but I do know that it couldn't have been your fault. You didn't make him yell at her, and now the only thing that will make things better is for us to find her, alright?"

Then his arms were around her, clinging to her as if the world would drop around them if he let go. Irisa smiled and returned his embrace, staying close to him as much as he did.

**Like most of you, I dislike the Irisa and Tarrant moments….a lot. But, it had to happen, and I hope your enjoying me posting two or three chapters a day because I haven't in forever! Love you guys and review please! **


	8. Ask and Answer

**Chapter 8, and it's kind of long, isn't that just awesome? Enjoy! **

"So, you haven't seen Alice, at all?" Chess asked, the tall red rose who was staring back down at the cat with disgust.

"No, I haven't." The rose replied, turning back to the sunflower next to her to finish her conversation.

"I told you they haven't seen her." Mally pointed out bitterly while they started back the way they came toward Marmoreal.

"Your bitterness isn't helping, my dear." Chessur pointed out, floating above the mouse, just out of reach but that didn't prevent her from puling out her needle and whipping it about towards him.

"Well where else are we supposed to look?" Mally asked, turning towards Thackery and Chess. "We've gone through ever one of them flowers and none of 'em had anything important to say."

"Butterfly!" Thackery cried out, twitching his head to the side as he hopped.

"What?" Mally asked, jumping into the air and gripping onto a low branch so she could jump along the side of the March hare, staying at some eye to eye distance. "What are you shouting out, about a butterfly?"

"Perhaps he saw a butterfly while we were talking to the flowers." Chess suggested, floating along the other side of Thackery who'd jumped at the cat's sudden appearance.

"No!" The rabbit yelled, jumping in front of his companions and making them both stop in their tracks. "Butterfly! We n-need to go see the Butterfly. He'll know what to-" He paused, looking up at the sky that had now gone a dark purple and the moon could be seen crawling up to the sky. "Moon…"

"He might have a point." Chessur mused, leaning on a furry elbow and watching his friend with an amused expression. "If anyone were to know where Alice is, it would be Absoulm."

Mally nodded. "Then let's go! Where is he anyway?"

Chess nodded, floating around in a circle and then rolling his head. "Perhaps, he's lost too."

"Well we better find him soon." Mallymkun warned them, hopping off her branch and dashing into the nearest brush. "I have a feeling that by the time we get back, they might have already found her!"

. . .

"_This way, Alice." Someone called, and Alice blinked, sitting up and blinking as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. _

_She shook her head, neat, clean blonde curls glistening in the bright sunlight. She moved, leaning onto her hands and knees then stood up. Her dress had changed too; the beautiful white gown that she'd been wearing had turned into a familiar pale blue dress. _

_But not just any dress, the dress she'd worn to her engagement party a year ago. It looked exactly how it was when she pulled herself up out of the hole, the dark tatters and mud still skirting along the bottom, and her stockings were back to, and no corsets. _

What happened? _Alice thought dimly, taking a hesitant step forward then instantly stopped. She pulled up the edges of her dress, realizing that she wasn't wearing any shoes. _

Curiouser and curiouser. _Alice thought to herself, letting her dress fall back into place and taking a step towards the voice that had called her name. She resisted the urge to call back to them and kept walking, letting her eyes drift along the place she was now._

_It was as if a field was drenched in gold and bronze, tall golden stalks of wheat grazed along her calves and brushed at her dress as she walked. It was warm here; not overheating humidity but a comfortable temperature that encased her like a warm hug. _

"_Over here, Alice." They called again, his time Alice could detect the voice better, besides realizing it was a woman and now knew where she needed to go. _

"_Alice!" There was a new voice now, deeper and more pleasant and now Alice was going faster, pushing past the stalks of wheat and stomping along the ground, until finally she saw them. _

_There were six tables, dotted in between the meadow without any random order, but it was the people that made her stop. _

_Her mother found her first, Ms. Kingsleigh's arms wrapping along her daughter's body in a tight embrace. Immediately her mother's familiar scent flooded into her nostrils, the comforting scent of lavender along with the sharp tinge of metal that came from her constant use of needs while she sewed. _

"_Mother?" Alice whispered, pulling herself away from her while her mother grasped her hand. "What are you-"_

"_Alice," another voice called, and Alice's mother moved out of the way for her eldest daughter to engulf her sister in a hug. _

_Margret was just as real too, she looked just like she had when Alice had left her. Her blue eyes sparkling with excitement, and her rose colored lips in an unbreakable smile. She was wearing the same dress that Alice had seen her wearing at her almost engagement party, and so was her mother. "You're finally here." _

"_What do you mean?" this was odd, even for Alice. How did she get to this place? And when did her family come here? Too many questions and not enough time to have them answered. _

"_We've been waiting for you." Now it was Lord Ascot, giving her a quick hug and pulling away with an old and wise smile that bought back a sad pang in her chest at the sight of her familiar father figure. _

"_You've kept us waiting." One of the Chataway sisters explained, appearing in the same yellow poke a dotted dress from the party and taking Alice's hand. "Hasn't she faith?" _

"_Yes she has, Fiona." Faith's dress was the same too, but with stripes of blue where her sister's was yellow, Alice noticed while the other sister grasped her other hand.. "But it's alright now, she's back." _

"_And we're all glad to see her." Another male voice said with a smile, and Alice's heart nearly crumpled to pieces. _

"_Daddy?" Alice whispered, and both sisters dropped her hands as she ran toward her father. _

_He caught her in his outstretched arms, twirling her around like she had when she was a child. Alice buried her face in her father's chest, mumbling into his chest as tears began to fall. _

"_I've missed you." She whispered, pulling back and gazing into his face. _

_Mr. Kingsleigh smiled. "I've missed you too." He wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks and looked above her. "Someone has been waiting for you." _

_Alice turned around, looking past the rest of the people that she knew Aunt Imogene, looking much more happier then she had ever seen, Hamish, who was smiling pleasantly at Alice without a care in the world, Lowell, who was staring at her with respect, and finally ending at the same gazebo that Hamish had proposed to her in. _

_But Hamish wasn't standing in the gazebo. _

_His back was turned, his clothes looking a bit like the day that she'd met him in. His posture was relaxed, and even without seeing his face, Alice knew he was smiling. _

_Alice walked towards the gazebo, ignoring the smiles and nods that she got when she passed people she'd once known, and she stepped into the gazebo. From this close, she could hear that he was humming. A tune that was unrecognizable but sweet and melodious, something that made her smile, despite the fact she didn't know where she was. _

"_Nicholas?" Alice whispered, and he turned, flashing a warm simile that told her not to fear anything, and held out his hand. Alice took a step closer, taking her hand in his and smiling grandly. _

_His arms folded around her, and Alice could see the happy faces of her family behind him. Everyone's eyes wet with tears of pure joy as they watched Alice and Nicholas together, even Hamish was unable to stop grinning. _

"_You could have had it all." Nicholas whispered, and Alice blinked, trying to turn around to face Nicholas, who just held her back and kept whispering. "You could have had it all, but you don't." _

"_Nicholas, what are you talking about?" Alice struggled, desperate to turn around and face her friend. "Nicholas, your being weird. What do you mean I could have had it all?" _

"_You left them." Nicholas taunted, and held her tighter. "You had it all, and now what do you have? Nothing." _

"_Let me go," Alice said sternly, looking back at her family and friends who was still smiling even as the sky above them grew dark, and a mist pooled around them. "What's happening to them?" _

"_And now they'll suffer." Nicholas continued, while Alice continued to struggle. "Because of you. Because of the choices you made, and there's nothing you can do." _

"_Let me go!" Alice yelled, and Nicholas did,. Alice hit the floor of the gazebo hard on her chest, watching in horror as The Chataway sisters began to disappear. Then Hamish, and Aunt Imogene and then Lowell and her sister. Then her mother disappeared to the dark smoke, and finally her father, with one last look at his youngest daughter. _

"_Because of you." Nicholas repeated, and Alice was flipped onto her back, watching in horror while the face that she'd expected to be Nicholas' wasn't. _

_Instead, she was face to face with a man filled with hatred, and a pair of horrible crimson eyes. _

**Did you like? I loved writing this chapter, mostly because dream sequences and guilt are two of my specialties. :) review please! **


	9. Evil Presences

**Chapter 9, wow this book is going fast and I'm going to honestly say that I was a bit surprised by this chapter. I hope you enjoy it like I did been if it's a bit shorter. Enjoy, **

"_You…" Alice whispered, struggling to back up while still lying on her back. _

"_No, my dear." He said, his voice changing into the soft and recognizable one of the Hatter's. "You. This," He gestured to all the mist that surrounded the gazebo. "Is you, not me. It was _you _that chose to leave your home, and it was _you _that feel in love with someone who you should have known could never love you back. And it is _you_, who will probably try to fix it, and realize that nothing will fix it." _

"_No!" Alice screamed, turning onto her hands and knees and launching herself off the gazebo and into the mist. She landed on her knees, hands gripping into the dirt below and struggling to see through the crowd of darkness around her. _

"_You can't hide." The Hatter's voice taunted and Alice shook her head to clear the voice from her mind. She jumped onto her feet and took of running, desperate to get away from the voice and the truth's it spoke of. _

_Trees and brush passed around her, darkness following her footsteps closely, and every time she stopped for breath, the voice came back. _

"_You can't run away." It said. "I'll always know where you are." _

"_No!" Alice screamed. Branches and brushes grew closer, and Alice's footsteps grew slower. Then, arms circled Alice and no matter how much she struggled or scream, none of it could set her free. _

_. . . _

Stayne grinned wearily. Sitting back down onto the bed he ran a hand through his hair and gazed at himself in the mirror.

His skin was tight and pale, his dark eye looking darker against the white background. The other one that usually hid behind his heart shaped eye patch was lighter, staring lazily forward and gazing at nothing.

He looked like any other man in London, except maybe for the lazy eye or the fact that on his right hand he wore a black leather glove that he vowed to never take off in front of anyone.

The hand in question pulsed, a flash of warmth spreading from the tops of his fingers to the palm of his hand and along his wrist before finally subsiding, and making Stayne's grin grow wider.

Then he fell back onto the bed he was given, letting his eyelids fall heavily and his grin fade into a soft smile, proof of a job well done.

. . .

"Let me go!" Alice screeched, struggling against the arms that bound her. They were strong and held her tightly, leaving no room for her to squirm.

The arms only pulled her back in response, back into the darkness and Alice thrashed with more rigor.

Finally, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness and found one of the tight branches that held her, and she bit down hard.

She heard the tree screech in pain and release her, and Alice tasted blood.

Once she was free, she fell to the ground and took of once more, running any which way that she might avoid the monster that followed, blood's coppery taste still fresh in her mouth. Had she bit her own tongue while she bit the tree? She didn't know, nor did she want to wait and find out. She needed to get out and get away, and if she kept running she would.

Something rumbled behind her, and Alice turned, seeing that the darkness had come closer then she'd thought and tried to pull her back into its grasp. But this time, she ducked and spun and sped away from it.

Then, if by chance or by fate, a tiny shimmer of light flickered in the side of her vision. Instantly she turned and gasped.

At the edge of the darkness, a tiny sliver of bright cut through the darkness and she knew that, that was her escape. Her only escape.

She dove for the light, running faster then she'd ever run and dove for the light, but landed a few feet short. Exhausted from running she crawled the rest of the way, even her hair weighing heavily down on her as she desperately reached towards her freedom, when she was jerked back.

"NO!" Alice screamed, her ankle throbbing as they pulled her roughly back towards the shadows. "Let me go!"

Letting her go was probably the last thing that they had in mind, because then a rough claw reached toward her calves, then her thighs and hips and finally pinned her arms to her sides with their branches. Still, she screamed, pleading and commanding to be set free and kicking in any place that she could move her legs to.

"Let me go!" Alice screeched, kicking them hard in the ribs. "Let me go right now!"

"No!" They screamed back, and this time they formed words that Alice could understand. "Alice, you need to wake up!"

She paused, gasping as the claws turned to something softer and more familiar. A hand.

"Wake up!" A desperate voice pleaded. "Alice, open your eyes please, you're having a nightmare."

Finally Alice relaxed, and she shut her eyes one last time before opening them and meeting a pair of dark ones, filled with terror and worry. And utterly, familiar.

Alice took in a lung full of air, real air from Underland and stared. Her throat hoarse from screaming, and parched from endless running, couching before she managed to whisper one word that sounded too alien on her tongue.

"Iracebeth?"

**Surprised? I was too. At first I thought it was going to be Nicholas who found her, then I thought…wait, way to obvious, what if it was someone else? Someone who might know a bit more of what's happening to Alice and then this happened. Yay for random bursts of inspiration! Review please!**


	10. Now You See It

**Short, and doesn't really have a point, but I kind of loved the ending, and I hope you will too. Enjoy**

"What are you doing here?" Alice finally asked knees pulled up close to her body as Iracebeth pulled up the sleeve of her injured arm. The bloody rag that she'd once worn had been replaced by crisp white bandages, but Alice still shuddered at the sight of a stump ending at where Iracebeth's hand should be.

From here, Alice could see tiny red specks forming beneath the bandages, in a slight curved manor as if someone was…"

"I bit you." Alice realized, brown eyes going wide as Iracebeth gave her a small smile. Her hair still fell down her shoulders loosely, the heart that had once been disappearing among the vibrant red curls on her giant head.

"Quite deeply, in fact." The ex queen said, sighing and sitting down in front of Alice, the white sleeve that she had pulled up to examine the cut. "But, I won't hold it against you. I would have done the same if I was experiencing what you were."

"Experiencing?" Alice repeated curiously. "What do you mean?"

The queen flicked her wrist. Her remaining hand waving through the air carelessly while she stood. "I'll explain later, but all you have to know is that it isn't safe for you to be out here, alone."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked again, standing up and following the queen as she walked towards the edge of the forest. Now, Alice started to take in her actually surroundings.

The ground was flickered with rocks and grass, and flowers leaned their heads against a wall of tall grass, some snoring and some mumbling. A dark night sky stretched along the horizon, the only light laminated by the moon above.

"We're at the door." Alice whispered, turning around and staring back at the door that she'd climbed through three times in her life time. The door that connected this world to reality.

"He didn't bother to finish what he started." Iracebeth mumbled to herself, and that was the last thing she said, for the entire way back to the castle.

. . .

Alice was dead on her feet when she walked into the castle.

No one was up at this time; it must have been close to four in the morning, and by the time that they actually found anyone, she was nearly delirious.

It was a servant, a pretty girl with white hair who looked a bit older then Alice herself She was dressed in a pale dress with an even paler apron tied along her waist and when she caught sight of Alice and Iracebeth, she dropped the ray of waters she'd been holding and ran over to the new arrival, her wet footsteps leaving prints in the carpet.

"Alice, Iracebeth." She said breathlessly, curtsying clumsily, and smiling. "We've been waiting for you. When did you get back?" She shook her head. "That doesn't matter; we need to tell everyone you're here. Come on." She grabbed Alice's hand and Iracebeth's good one. "This way, if you please."

The girl led down a series of hallways, and Alice followed her like a moth to the flame, too exhausted to do anything else, and finally when they found the right room-having found two other wrong ones- Alice wasn't even able to walk inside without stumbling.

"Your highness?" The maid asked, opening the door a smidge and peaking inside. "We have company."

The rest of the door pushed open and suddenly Alice was embraced in soft arms. At first, she expected to see the soft white hair of the white queen, but when she opened her eyes, she was a dark curtain of black.

"We were so worried." Irisa whispered, pulling back and smiling at Alice, her rainbow eyes shining with joy. "I'm so glad your okay."

"Me too." Mirana agreed, placing a soft hand on Alice's shoulder before her champion pulled the queen in for a hug of her own.

Mirana smiled when she saw her sister, disheveled and with her champion and then two sisters shared an embrace of their own. Last was Nicholas, pulling Alice into his arms and squeezing her tight, then after a few moments actually looking at her with a soft smile.

"You're dead on your feet, aren't you?" He looked up to the rest of his friends; there were only three of them that had stayed awake while they planned for new ways to find Alice. "I'm going to run her up to bed, aright?"

Everyone gave them a soft nod, Irisa suggesting that they all went to sleep, and as the two humans past the Hater, Alice stopped and turned to him.

He looked as bad as she felt, his eyes wide and blue, turning to Topaz as she stopped in front of him. Dark half moons under his colorful eyes, and his mouth a firm line.

Without a word, Alice took a step forward, standing less then a foot away from him, and cocked her head to the side, waiting.

Once the Hatter saw her posture, he opened his mouth, ready to apologize, and then.

Alice slapped him across the face.

Then, Alice turned around and walked out of the room, with Nicholas by her side.

**See, Alice would slap the Hatter, thank you deathroman13 for the idea. :) Again, sorry it's short and doesn't really have much of a point, but I thought it was nice. I'm not forgetting about you guys. Review please! **


	11. Your Entire Fault

**Thank you for the suggestions and funny reviews, I hope this doesn't disappoint your thirst of my fan fiction chapters. Enjoy! **

Alice's nose hurt.

Her dreams had been riddled with nonsense, mostly pictures and images of her friends and family then a calming mild darkness, much unlike the dark that had chased Alice in her Nightmare. Alice welcomed the new darkness, as much as she did her peaceful sleep, half hoping that she'd never wake up.

Now the pain hit her forehead, and then her cheek then back to her nose, when Alice finally opened her eyes, just when a small rock hit her nose again.

"What the?" Alice mumbled, sitting up and shaking her head wildly, watching as more of the small rocks fell from her hair and off her face.

"Finally," An annoyed voice drawled from above, and Alice turned to the top of her bed.

Sitting on the top of the bed frame, holding a small slingshot in hand, Mallymkun prepared to shoot another small pebble at Alice.

"Mally!" Alice exclaimed in frustration, leaning up on her knees and taking the slingshot away from the mouse. What are you doing here?"

"They told me to be here when you woke up!" the mouse snapped, jumping up to grab her weapon away from Alice. "Now, give it back!"

"Alice rolled her eyes and dropped the tiny weapon down to the mouse, who caught in her paw and jumped off the frame and onto the bed. Then, scurried off to the floor and towards the door.

"Where are you going, now?" Alice demanded, it was too early for Mally to be doing such mysterious and confusing things.

"To the garden!" The mouse replied, ducking under the narrow space between the door and the floor and finally disappearing.

Alice rolled her eyes and pushed the rest of the blankets away from her and stood. Last night had taken it's toll on Alice, scratches ran along her arms from where she'd run, and through the small space that Alice could see of her ankles she could see the deep cuts ran along her legs too.

With a shrug though, Alice skipped over to her closet and pushed it open, letting her hand trail along the dresses and grabbed a dark purple dress.

And once she was dressed, she pushed open her bedroom door, and followed the mouse's way and went towards the garden.

. . .

"Alice!" Irisa called, and Alice turned around to see the Hightopp girl running toward Alice faster then she'd seen any girl run. She stopped right in front of Alice and lopped her arm through hers, turning Alice around and walking with her towards the garden as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Decided to sleep in, eh?" Irisa asked, raising a single eyebrow.

Alice shrugged. "I had a long night."

"And a long day, from what I hear." Irisa agreed, with a nod of her head. She was wearing he rainbow hat, its flowers bringing out the intensity of her eyes. "Fighting really takes a lot out of a person, but I think you evened the playing field with the slap last night."

"You know?" Alice asked, stunned. She thought that it had been a secret, her fighting with the Hatter. But now, his wife knew about the fight, and surly must have known what it was about.

Irisa rolled her eyes. "I don't see why everyone thinks it's such a big secret, she stepped in front of Alice, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to say that the idea that one of my good friends might have some…attractions to my husband is something that unfazes me, but." She smiled at Alice. "I trust you, and I trust Tarrant. Plus, from what I see, there is someone else who might be part of this mad, love triangle."

Alice blinked, now it was her turn to try to be oblivious even though she knew completely who Irisa was talking about. "What do you mean?"

Irisa grinned wildly, and cocked her head to the side, in the direction of he garden doors where Alice could see a familiar dark head through the glass in the doors. "Don't tell me that you haven't noticed the way he's always staring at you.": Irisa asked, pulling Alice closer to the door. "And, I've heard that he came to Underland all on his own, just to be with you." She smiled longingly. "How romantic."

Alice sighed, and played with her hair nervously. "You're mad, you know that right?"

Irisa's grin widened. "That's what they tell me!"

. . .

Mrs. Kingleigh was tired.

It had only been a day and a half, but her daughter's disappearance was like heavy burden on her. A million what ifs played in her mind when ever she thought of Alice, what if I'd been nicer to her? What if I'd accepted her way of life instead of forcing my own on her? What could have happened to her?

She'd thought everything was going well, she and Nicholas would be married soon and they would be as happy as she and Charles were, and as happy as Margret and Lowell, but instead the wedding was put off time after time, and now she vanished completely.

_I should have done something. _She thought again, bowing her head into her hands as she let the guilty thoughts run wild through her mind.

It serves you right, she thought, but the thought wasn't her own. Not entirely. She'd been thinking about it for a long time nut had never actually told herself it. It was an odd thing to tell yourself anything, but she had and now she was.

_It's your faulty she'd gone. _The thoughts continued._ It's because of you that she's gone. _

"No," she whispered_, _raising her head. "It isn't."

_But it is. _The evil thoughts told her._ It's your entire fault, because you couldn't let her be who she was. You wanted her to be you, and now she'd gone. _

"No it isn't!" The woman yelled, jumping to her feet and covering her ears with her hands. "It isn't my fault!"

_All your fault. _The voice taunted_ your entire fault, and no one else's. Because of your selfishness. _

"No!" She cried, running towards the door, she needed to get out of here, clear her head with some fresh but leave none the less. "No it's not."

_But it is. _They said darkly,_ and now you'll be reminded of it forever._

Then she fell and hit her head on the mantle, so hard that she didn't get up.

**dun, Dun, DUN. Dramatic pause! **

**So, there is some very bad things happening in London, and now Irisa knows, for all of you that thought she was oblivious, HA! What a twist! But, I still leave you on a cliff hanger, please review! **


	12. Overkill

**Chapter 12! Sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER! I've been super busy, I was surprised by seeing my dad during the break and then going back to New York for the holidays! YAY! Want the whole, what the hell happened to me? Read and enjoy then read what else happened.**

"There you are," Someone called form behind her, and Alice turned suddenly, coming face to face with a pair of green eyes. Not even an inch form her face.

"What are you doing here?" She'd wanted the words to be filled with venom and anger, but instead they came out unsteadily, which defeated its entire purpose.

"I was worried." The Hatter admitted, his eyes flashing a bright topaz as he stared at her with fixed attention. "And, I was right too. You're not yourself, Alice."

"How do you know who I am?" Alice asked, taking a step back, and stumbling. The Hatter took a step with her and reached out, steadying her by grabbing her hand and his other hand to snake up her waist.

The action was so minor, but it made the uttermost sense to her, the first thing that had in what seemed like forever. His arm fit so perfectly behind her, it was as if he was made to be there, and she herself was created for him to hold onto.

But all too soon, he let go of her, as if her touch burned him and he stared down at his and his hands if they had betrayed them, and maybe they had.

"Oh," Alice whispered, looking down at his hands along with him to avoid looking at his face. "Sorry, I didn't know that you weren't allowed to touch me."

The Hatter's head shot up, and his eyes were blue, his eyes were like a kaleidoscope, moods changing every few seconds so that it was quite hard to tell what would happen next. "Alice I-"

"It's fine." Alice interrupted, raising her hands for a second and letting them fall back to her sides. "If you're not supposed to, then I won't try to make you."

"No, Alice nothing like that!" Hatter insisted looking surprised then stopped, staring at Alice with a fixed expression. "Alice, I'm worried about you. You seem so…"

"Muchness-less." Alice finished, with a sigh. "I'm fine, Hatter."

The Hatter didn't look convinced, so Alice decided to change the subject. "I'm sorry I slapped you."

"What?" The Hatter started, and then gave her a small gapped tooth smile. "I believe that you were quite just in doing so. I really did deserve it considering the cruel things I'd said to you. I really don't know where my head is sometimes, but really that's no excuse Alice, and the strangest part is, I can't even remember most of our-"

"Hatter!" Alice interrupted, and the Hatter stopped abruptly, just like he had when ever anyone had to pull him out of one of his babbles. "It's alright. And so am I."

The Hatter shook his head and leaned toward Alice, then, almost unnoticeably, something in his eyes changed, it was like a flash then it was gone, and now the hatter was staring at her in the oddest way. "I have to be going, Alice."

Alice blinked. "Alright, then." Why was the Hatter leaving so suddenly, could it have been something she'd said or was he possibly still angry about the slap? "Do you think you can help me with planning for Irisa's party? I was never really good at planning things and I could really use your-"

"No, Alice. I don't think I will help you." This time, it was the Hatter that had interrupted and the shock was clear on Alice's face as he continued. "I have other things to take care of."

"Oh." Alice's eyes fell, and she tried to put on a smile, "That's alright I suppose, if you are busy."

"No, Alice." He continued speaking to her in the same soft voice, as if they were perfect strangers and it was an awkward meeting on the street. "I mean…I don't…want to help you."

"What?" Alice tried not to gasp; it was unbelievably unlike her, as was the Hatter's sudden change of heart. Not more then five minutes ago they were talking like such good friends, and now he didn't want to help plan a party that _his_ wife wanted to plan!

"It's not as if I don't want to help you plan, Alice." He added suddenly, his voice more strained as if he were begging for her to understand. "I do have other things to do, but…we really should…"

"Should what?" Alice repeated.

"Stop." He finished plainly, and at Alice's blank expression continued wearily. "Stop all this. I know what you feel for me is quite strong. And I must admit that it isn't easy for me to ignore my feelings but, it just won't work."

"What are you saying?" Alice knew what he was saying, but everything in her heart screamed in protest as the words kept coming.

"I want this to stop." He finished. "All these close encounters and tense moments. I know you think you love me but I'm a married man. And a happily one at that, so it's time you…let me go."

"Your saying that you want me to let you go," Alice repeated softly.

"Yes." The Hatter smiled but it didn't reach his eyes all the way. "Maybe you should try to find someone else for you, like Nicholas." It was as if he was suggesting that she just switched her favorite flavors or tea, utterly neutral and unemotional.

Alice could feel herself slipping away, her self control failing and slipping through her fingers, her body aching and threatening to break down.

_No, _Alice thought sternly, and raised her head high to meet the Hatter's gaze and said in a calm voice. "Fine, but I still hope we can remain friends."

"Of course." Hatter replied causally, and turned around walking away from her and out into the gardens before disappearing behind a tall hedge. And after a few moments of silence, Alice followed.

. . .

"Margret!" Lowell called as he threw open the door to their home. "Margret, where are you?"

"Lowell?" Margret asked slightly dazed still tired from her sudden awakening while she appeared at the bottom of the stairwell of their home. "What are you-"

"It's your mother," he interrupted, running toward his wife and grasping her hands in his own. "God, she'd seriously injured."

"What?" Margret gasped, instantly awake while her hands started to shake. "What, happened to her?"

"They say she hit he head." Lowell explained, obviously struggling to keep both himself and his wife calm. "They found her this morning when she didn't show up for tea at her neighbors home."

Margret gasped again, her breath coming out uneven and shallow as her husband pulled her close in his arms. "God, where is she?"

"She's in bed at her home, they say that she'd in a coma, and might not-" He caught himself and pulled his wife closer. "They think it was stress induced that everything that's happened."

"Alice," Margret whispered, remembering that this was the third day now that her sister had been missing. "Do you think…"

"I don't know what to think." Lowell finished, and then pulled back, taking in his wife's nightgown and tangled blonde hair that fell down her shoulders in loose waves. "Go get dressed; they say we can visit her now."

Margret nodded and turned, running up the stairs and pulling on a dress then running out the front door with Lowell in tow, pushing away the thought of what her sister had done, and what she might be able to do.

**So, besides Christmas, it was my birthday yesterday, YAY! I am now 16, but on the day of my birthday, something super awkward happened and I had the worst conversation with my mother of all time. **

**Word of advice, the past can and will come back to haunt you. As it had for me, if you want all the grueling details, I might tell you guys in time but its still too early. I love you guys and missed you so much! Please review! **


	13. Dancing With Disaster

**I need to be more consistent with this! Sorry, don't hate but appreciate and enjoy! **

"Finally!" Irisa squealed, jumping up from the on the edge of the large marble fountain in the middle of the garden. "We've been waiting for you to arrive."

We, included Nicholas, who looked up from his conversation with a woman whose head was a bit longer then normal with a long tight dark read braid who Alice recognized as a much happy Iracebeth, Mirana whom was speaking towards the forest, kindly, Mally, who was carrying an arm full of colorful berries towards McTwisp whom was mixing them wildly in a small saucer he must have brought from the kitchen.

"Sorry I kept you waiting," Alice apologized while Irisa slipped her arm through hers and pulled her back towards the fountain. "I didn't realize you were all waiting for me."

Irisa rolled her eyes and sat down onto the fountain edge, crossing her legs under her dress and leaning an elbow on one knee while regarding Alice playfully while she sat down in front of her. "I wouldn't blame you Alice; you have been through a lot."

Before Alice could respond, Irisa was standing and spinning along the edge of the fountain, her feet barley skimming the marble as she skipped and hoped along the small space.

Alice as mesmerized, the girls movements were so graceful, yet at the same time so precise and sure, she found herself fighting to gasp when she'd think that Irisa would fall, then her friend turned and appearing inches from her face, with a wild grin. "Ready?"

"For what?" Alice asked, leaning back while Irisa smiled wider and held out a hand for Alice to take. "It's time to plan for the party."

"But why-" Alice started, but Irisa put a finger to her lips to shush her.

"We're going to multi task." Irisa explained, grabbing Alice's hand and pulling her up to stand on the edge of the fountain. "By planning and dancing."

Alice smiled at Irisa, and shrugged. _Maybe in Underland we're supposed to dance while we plan for a party _she thought halfheartedly, but knew it wasn't the case.

"Before you ask," Irisa said, still leading Alice along the edge of the large fountain. It was wider then Alice had thought and nearly stretched twenty feet long. Finally, Irisa stopped and turned to face Alice, completely secluded from everyone else and all sound drowned out by the running water of the fountain. "We're dancing while planning, because you don't know any Underlandian dances. So," Irisa Grinned and gave Alice a small curtsy. "I will personally teach you how to dance."

"While planning for the party." Alice added, with a smile while Irisa rolled her eyes and struck a poise, raising one hand over her head high while her other arm bowed low as she kneeled. "This is the first move of one of the most traditional dances." She smiled, and moved her hands into a twist against her chest, her fist closed near her shoulders in an x, throwing herself into a series of high kicks and spins.

"So, about the party." Alice asked, sitting along the edge, cocking her head to the side as she watched the mad woman dance. "Where do you think we should have it?"

"Easy," Irisa said, twisting and rolling her body straight before throwing her leg into a high knick higher then Alice would have thought possible. "I already know the perfect place." She threw her dark hair back and kneeled down before Alice, throwing her arms in a grand gesture. "In the palace, there is this huge silver ball room. The walls sparkle like diamonds and the entire ceiling is a mirror." She sighed and fell down onto the edge, letting one hand trail into the water. "It's so, romantic."

Before Alice could stop it, the words were already out of her mouth. "Not that you need anymore romance."

Irisa sat up, and for a second Alice thought she would be furious, but she smiled. "True, but it isn't for me." She winked at Alice dramatically and jumped off from the ledge and whirled over to the rose bushes that were dotted with white roses.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, while Irisa just hummed to herself a quick tune.

"I mean," Irisa explained, smiling over her shoulder as he pulled a blossom out from the bush and turned grandly, her skirt swirling around her pale legs and walked towards Alice with flowers held in both hands, close to her chest. "Someone does need a little romance." She waggled her eye brows at Alice and sat back down next to her. "If you haven't noticed."

"You mean, Nicholas?" Alice asked, and felt color rise to her cheeks. Why should she have been embarrassed? She and Nicholas were just friends, right? "We're just-"

"Friends, I know." Irisa interrupted and sighed. "But from the way he looks at you, it's obvious he wants to be more."

Alice rolled her eyes, and looked away. Why was her life so complicated, she was friends with the woman whom was married to the man she loved. The man she loves only wanted to be friends, and her friend might be in love with her. This was like a sick, Shakespearian play come to life, except there was no donkey for which the queen was to fall in love with.

"Did you see that?" Irisa asked, ripping Alice from her thoughts and pointing towards the bushes that were rustling. "I could have sworn-"

In a flash a dart of white flew out into the clearing, running towards them then turning to run away, but it wasn't fast enough for Alice to see the white fur and blue petticoat.

. . .

"She's in a deep coma." Dr. Peters explained, shoving his hands into his pockets awkwardly. "The head injury she suffered gave her a sudden concussion and we don't know when she will wake up."

"Why isn't she?" Lowell asked persistently. He'd been pestering the doctor with questions since his wife, whom had been sitting on the edge of her mother's bed and stroking her pale stiff hand.

"Well, it could be a number of things." The doctor explained, shaking his head sadly. "Age, the seriousness of her concussion, stress,"

"You mean stress can cause this?" Lowell asked, skeptically.

"Well, if something traumatic has happened recently, her mind may be closing in on itself to protect it. It could make it harder for her to wake up, or to wake up at all." The doctor placed a hand on Lowell's shoulder, a movement he'd learned to use when trying to explain as serious as he could, now was not the time to give up. "All we can do now is wait and hope." He started for Mrs. Kingsley's bedroom door, and then turned. "Would you like me to pass on your mother in laws condition to anyone else? Margret's sister, Alice perhaps?"

Lowell didn't answer, and while both men were deep in the conversation, Margret was the only one that saw her mother's finger twitch at the sound of her other daughter's name.

**Dramatic, as always. I don't want to go into a big lengthy authors note at the end because I ant to start on chapter 14, so ill cut to the chase. Review and enjoy! **


	14. Ordinary and Absolute

**Chapter 14, and I am hoping I can be much more consistent with my chapters, wish me luck! Enjoy! **

"Why would he have run from us?" Irisa asked, pushing away an armful of brush as she followed Alice whom was still trying to figure out where the white rabbit could have gone.

"He must want us to follow him, I suppose." Alice replied, ducking under a law tree branch and falling out into a large clearing. "I've never seen him like that though."

"Come on, McTwisp!" Someone called, and a small white rabbit darted in front of Alice and Irisa followed by a grass stained Nicholas who dove for the rabbit and buried it in his chest. "Got you!"

Alice smiled, "Nice catch, Nicholas."

Nicholas looked up, and grinned at Alice, despite the scrambling creature in his arms. "Thanks, Alice." He stood, and pulled the fighting rabbit from his arms, staring at it with fixed curiosity. "Oh, that's ….different."

"What is?" Irisa asked, jumping to Nicholas' side while Alice did the same, and all three of them stared at the rabbit in the waist coat, whose eyes were normally pink were now pitch black.

. . .

"This is extraordinary," Mirana mused, examining the rabbit on her counter while Nicholas, Alice and Iracebeth watched with wrapped attention. Once they brought the rabbit back to Mirana, Irisa had disappeared inside the castle walls to find the Hatter and tell him of their discovery, then finish planning some party details. So now, sitting on stools that they'd found from varies parts of the kitchen, the trio watched as the white queen examined the creature. "He seems so…so…"

"Ordinary?" Iracebeth suggested, and Mirana shot her a wearily look.

"He doesn't look like himself," Mirana concluded, and cocked her head to the side. "And he isn't very much like himself at all, either."

"He's acting like a rabbit from London." Nicholas said to no one in particular. "And, he looks like one too."

"Your right." Alice realized, looking closer, she could see that there were vines of poison ivy wrapped along the waist coat. "And he has plants from London too."

Mirana picked up a pair of tweezers and delicately pulled a strand of ivy from the rabbit's waist coat. "This isn't a plant found in Underland." She concluded, holding it close to her face, before putting it into a small glass tube. "I'll examine it more later but first I want to look at," She pursed her lips. "Mctwisp, more closely." She looked back up at her friends softly. "Would you mind so terribly if I asked you to leave me by myself? I seem to work better with…privacy."

The trio nodded and left the queen with the white rabbit, and when Nicholas back wads turned, something pulled Alice back.

"We need to speak," Iracebeth whispered urgently, while Nicholas turned around with eye brows raised. "Alone."

"Alright," She whispered back then said to Nicholas. "I'll see you later, Iracebeth and I are going to…talk."

Either noticing the awkwardness between Iracebeth and Alice or wanting to avoid it at all cost or just wanting to listen to Alice, he gave her a nod and left, leaving her alone with the red queen.

Once Nicholas was out of sight, Iracebeth turned, pulling Alice with her good hand down the long hallway before stopping in a plain sitting room and pushing her inside then shut the door. Then, she walked over to the large window that gazed at the afternoon sun, and pulled the long white curtains shut so the only light came from a dim candle on a small table in the middle of the room.

"There," She said, mostly to herself and sat down in one of the sitting chairs, smoothing the skirts of her light pink dress with her good hand while her other arm stayed in her lap. "He won't be able to find us, here."

"Excuse me?" Alice asked, leaning against the door, a bit anxiously. The last time she'd been alone with the red queen was when she was in her court and called herself Um, from Umbridge. That seemed like a life time ago.

"Please Alice, sit." Iracebeth instructed and Alice obeyed, sitting on the chair across from hers and keeping her eyes locked on Iracebeth's. "I believe I have some explaining to do."

"I think so too," Alice replied, her gaze focusing on the arm that she'd bitten the night before, and shuddered at the memory.

"We don't have much time," Iracebeth whispered urgently, leaning forward. "So, I'll tell you what I can. He's stronger, Alice. Much, much stronger. Stronger then any man should be, and I fear with his power, he's going to use it to get revenge."

"Revenge?" Alice repeated softly. "You mean-"

"Shhh," Iracebth interrupted, looking around fearfully. "Don't speak, just listen. He may be anyway, watching, listening. He can take what you see and twist it. Make what he wants you to see, real, at least in here.' She pointed at her head. 'You'll never be sure what you see is real."

"How can he do that?" Alice asked.

Iracebeth shook his head. "He's more magic then man, now. He did it to himself, became his own experiment so he can finish what he started." She grabbed Alice's hand suddenly, and moved her face close to hers. "No matter what you do, never go anywhere alone, especially when you're asleep. If you're attacked while you sleep, have water near you. From the stream, it has to be pure running water, something pure to fight against something evil. And no matter what-" Iracebeth broke off with a gasp, breaking Alice's gaze.

"Iracebeth?" Alice asked, and Iracebeth's hand grew tight in hers, and when Alice put her other hand on the woman's shoulder she screamed, high pitched and fearful then fell backwards over her chair with a loud thump.

"Iracebeth!" Alice screamed, and jumped to her feet, kneeling close to the woman and watching with horror as her eyes rolled back, exposing all white as her breath became more, and more shallow.

. . .

"We have to find her." Margret said from her mother's bed side. Her face was pale and drawn, her eyes never leaving her mother's soft face. She looked so peaceful, as if she were asleep, and if she didn't do something she might not ever wake up. "It's the only way."

"It's only been a day or two, Margret." Lowell said, sitting next to his wife and taking her other hand gently, stroking it like she was doing to her mother's hand. "Alice will be back soon, I'm sure of it."

"And what if she doesn't come back today?" Margret asked, turning around and meeting her husband's understanding gaze with a hate filled one. "What if she doesn't come back the next day? My mother doesn't have an eternity; we need to find Alice soon."

"Where should we look for her, then?" Lowell asked. "She couldn't have gotten far, maybe she's at Nicholas' estate."

"I think I know where she is," Margret admitted, dropping her eyes down to their interlocked hands. "And, it's not in London."

"Then, where-" He stopped, and shook his head at his wife. "No, Margret that's impossible. What Tarrant was saying-it couldn't be that easy to get there from London."

"I don't care," Margret said a matter of factly. "When we get home, we're going to ask him exactly where he's from, because I'm absolutely sure that's where she is."

Lowell shook his head and gave his wife a weary smile. "There's no way I can convince you otherwise, can I?"

Margret gave him a swift shaking of her head. "No, there isn't."

Now Lowell smiled wider, "Good. Because you wouldn't be the woman I loved unless you could."

**End of chapter 14! And I leave on one of my ever so loved cliff hangers. So, are you as excited for the party as I am? We you should be! Because I suspect, something big will be happening. Please, review :P **


	15. Helpless

**Chapter 15, and as always, more cliff hangers! Please enjoy!**

"Iracebeth!" Alice screamed again, grabbing the woman's shoulders and shaking her furiously. "Iracebth, please wake up!"

Iracebth twitched, her breath become unbelievably shallow, so faint it was hard for Alice to notice if the woman was breathing at all, and finally Iracebth grew unbelievably still.

"No," Alice whispered, and then screamed. "No! Iracebeth, no, no, no!" She stood and ran to the door throwing it open and screaming into the hallway. "Help, somebody help me. We need help, Iracebth isn't breathing someone help me, she's dying!"

Alice ran back, and reached for the woman's pulse, it was faint but she could still detect it if she tried hard enough and finally, help arrived.

"Where is she?" A servant called, and ran inside, pushing Alice back as if she were nothing and grabbed the woman's wrist. "This isn't good, he mumbled to himself and more people flooded into the room, but Alice didn't bother to notice. She was numb with fright.

As more people came in, Alice got smaller, and eventually she just sat in the corner. Her legs pulled up against her and her chin balanced on her knees, watching as more and more people fought to save Iracebeth's life.

Finally, one of the maids turned to her. She was kind, with soft gray eyes and a warm smile and leaned down to Alice's height and asked in a calm voice. "Do you know what happened to her?"

_"He's more magic then man, now." _Iracebeth's voice whispered in her head._ "He did it to himself, became his own experiment so he can finish what he started."_ Alice dropped her gaze, and felt very small. "I don't know," she lied. And the woman didn't push her; just lead her out of the room.

It was then that Alice made a decision to keep what Iracebth had told her a secret. If Stayne could do this to Iracebth, who knows what he could do to everyone else? What Stayne was now, and what he could do would be for only Alice to know. She turned, risking a glance at Iracebeth whose eyes were closed and who was being prodded by multiple hands. And hopefully, by Iracebeth too.

. . .

"You sure you're alright?" Nicholas asked for the hundredth time, and Alice had to resist the urge to hit him. Instead she rolled her eyes and turned back to Chess who was rolling his eyes at the two.

"So you have absolutely no news on Iracebeth?" Alice asked worriedly.

"Not," The cat replied wearily, his body starting to disappear. "Since the last time you'd asked me."

"Honestly Alice," Irisa said apologetically. "You should really calm down. Both of you in fact are probably going to tier yourselves out from repeating the same thing."

"It's true," The Hatter agreed, to which the Alice tried not to flinch from. "The queen assured you that she would do everything in her power to make sure she's well."

Alice sighed, cupping her chin in her hand and leaning back on the steps outside the palace. Nicholas was beside her, his brown eyes playful and happy, but behind them flicked of concern and anxiety. Irisa was next to her, her slim and graceful legs tucked up under her dress. The Hatter sat behind her, his legs stretched out in front of him and his arm around Irisa's waist. Whenever Alice looked at the two of them, she kept her eyes away from that spot at all costs. 

After a beat of awkward silence, the cat broke in. "So, Irisa. How is your party coming along?"

Irisa's mouth broke into a wide grin. "It's simply fantastic, Chess. Alice is learning all the Underlandian dances and she will just simply love her dress."

"My dress?" Alice echoed, and Irisa blushed for a moment.

"Sorry, Alice." She apologized. "But, I kind of already picked out the perfect dress for you to wear to the ball." She took both of Alice's hands in her own. "You'll simply love it, I swear. I designed it myself and it will go absolutely perfect with your eyes. Oh," Irisa jumped up, and took Alice up with her. "I should show it to you. Right now!"

Alice dropped her gaze. "Well, I'm not really sure..."

"Actually, Irisa." Nicholas broke in, leaning his head upward to meet the girl's rainbow eyes. "I was hoping you might show _me _some traditional Underlandian dances. Since, you've already shown Alice, and I don't want to be the only one who doesn't know how."

"Well," Irisa pursed her lips and shrugged. "I guess I could show you how, but I really should show Alice her dress. "I wan to make sure it fits and everything."

"I could do it." The Hatter suggested, and instantly Alice wished she hadn't left Iracebeth's side at all. "I could make sure that the measurements are correct and fix them if they aren't."

"Excellent!" Irisa cried, jumping up and grabbing Nicholas' hand, pulling him down the steps. "Alice, I'll see you later. Don't think in light of the circumstances you still aren't going to help me decorate."

"I won't." Alice replied, and watched as she and Nicholas disappeared before turning back to the Hatter.

"Well," He said after an awkward moment and offered his arm for her to take. "Shall we?"

Ignoring his arm, Alice nodded and followed the Milliner back to the room he shared with his wife, and to her dress.

. . .

"So it's decided then," Margret said, while she and Lowell walked back to their home, hand in hand. "We'll ask him more about his homeland then ask where it could possibly be, and then we leave for it immediately."

"Right, and if he does ask why," Lowell added. "We just tell him genuine curiosity."

"Of course," They were at their door now, and just beyond it would be the man who might have all the answers they need. "Are you ready?"

Lowell nodded, and squeezed his wife's hand. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it together."

Margret nodded, and turned, giving her husband a quick kiss before opening the door and pushing it open into the bright house, where their guest stood, studying over a large map of a place beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

**Hmm, what could happen next? Besides an awkward encounter between both our stories, as expected. Please review! I love the, and without them I would explode. Well…not really, but it could happen! **


	16. Compicated

**Chapter 16, wow this story is going by fast. And I can just tell some people are going to be pissed at me. Enjoy, anyway?**

"So, how does it feel?" Hatter asked, taking a step back and staring at Alice as she twisted in front of the three mirrors of her bedroom.

"It feels unbelievable." Alice replied, slightly unsteadily, from both standing on a small platform while the hatter adjusted her dress, and from being so close to him. And it did, it was as if the dress was made for her body, when ever she breathed it was as if the fabric breathed with her and moved exactly as she did. The dress left her shoulders bare, and the lightest of all blue colors-so light it was hard to tell if it was white instead of blue- fabric started to fan out around her elbows. Her bodice was tight and enriched with a slightly darker blue around the corset and finally the rest of the gown fanned out loosely and stopped just after her ankles.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she looked like the kind of care free girl who ran into the moods and would soon be surrounded by a gang of fairies. She looked wild and innocent; Irisa had out done herself completely.

"You're beautiful." The Hatter whispered, and their eyes locked through the mirror for one fleeting moment before he looked away and started playing with the hem on the back of her dress. "I…um. I want to make sure that this end of the dress is…not going to come loose while you dance and if that happened that be quite the incident and it would be so very-""

"Hatter." Alice said suddenly and turned, crouching down slightly to be face to face with the hatter who had dropped her dress the moment she said his name. "It's okay."

"You," The Hater's eyes grew wide. "You mean that-"

"It's alright to just…well compliment me." Alice said carefully. "I mean, were just friends right? What could be wrong with a compliment?" She sat up straight and turned back to her reflection, putting an awkward curl of blonde hair back over her shoulder. "I mean….the dress….it is, really beautiful."

"Yes," The Hatter replied almost sadly, picking up a pair of scissors and moving to carefully cut a loose thread from the end of her dress. "It is."

For the next few minutes it was quiet, the Hatter casually tending and fixing edges of the dress and finally, he asked oh, so quietly. "Whose bringing you?"

"What?" Alice asked.

"To the party." The Hatter replied cautiously. "Who is bringing you?"

"Oh," Alice looked down at her hands. Another thing she hadn't thought of. Perhaps she could go alone; Nicholas probably wouldn't have a date either. Nicholas. Alice blinked, remembering all the things that Irisa had told her about Nicholas. And then the memory of their kiss.

_"Maybe you should try to find someone else for you, like Nicholas." _The Hatter had said, but could he have actually meant it?

"I don't know yet." Alice admitted. "But, I think I'll ask Nicholas to go with me."

"Oh." The Hatter replied nonchalantly, and Alice ignored the way his hands tensed up. "I'm sure you two would have a great time together."

Alice looked over her shoulder. "Hatter, are you alright?"

"Yes," He replied. "I was just saying that I'm sure that you two will have a great time together. He is your closest friend."

Alice looked down at her hands, and took a deep breath. "Yes, but….I I think…"

The Hatter paused and gave her a side ways look.

"I think…" Alice continued. "That we might be more then….just friends."

Now the Hatter stepped in front of her, his eyes orange. "What do you mean, more then just friends? How could you ever think you have feelings for that bumbling, slurvish-"

"You stop right there!" Alice snapped, and jumped off the plat form she was standing on, pointing an accusing finger at the Hatter. "Don't you dare say a bad thing about Nicholas. He's a good friend and a good person. And If I might have feelings for him that is _my _business, not yours."

"What?" The Hatter gasped. "How can you say that?"

"Like this." Alice continued. "While you've been telling me to let you go, he's actually been there for me. He risked everything to follow me down here and went with me back up there and he is an amazing person. And, I'm glad that I may have feelings for him. And I'm glad that we kissed-"

Alice covered her mouth, and the Hatter's eyes literally turned from orange to crimson right before her eyes. "Ye….did…..what."

"Well…..when Irisa was back we were just talking and….it only happened once…it wasn't if." Alice paused, and crossed her arms over her chest. Why did she have to explain herself to the Hatter? Who she kissed was her business right? "We kissed, and it's my business not yours."

Then Alice was on the floor.

. . .

It happened so fast, one minute they were standing there and now she was on the floor, her back aching from where she fell. The Hatter on the other hand wasn't conscious of her pain. He was a tornado of fury. Constantly picking up an object and throwing it without a second thought. The sound was ear drum shattering, and in between every crack, every thump she could hear his bitter and furious curses. Alice was literally frozen with fear.

Alice leaned; laying on her side when out of no where, a blur of dark and color blocked her vision and ran towards the Hatter.

"Tarrant Hightopp!" Irisa screamed, grabbing his wrists and pinning them at his sides then cupped his face in both her hands. "Tarrant, Tarrant look at me!"

"Alice!" Nicholas cried, and he was kneeling in front of her, helping her up as softly as he could and letting her lean heavily on him. "Lord are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Alice replied a Nicholas helped her to her feet. "Nicholas, how did you..."

"Irisa and I heard Hatter yelling at you from across the hall." Nicholas admitted, and placed a hand on her cheek as she gazed into his eyes. "I was so worried about you, Alice. You don't know…"

He stopped, and they heard a heavy gasp from across the room. Irisa and the Hater were embraced, Irisa's arm around his neck and his hands around her face and finally their lips met. Alice looked away, and back up at Nicholas. If there was any time to do it, now was it.

"Nicholas?" Alice asked.

"Yes, Alice?" He replied.

"About the party,"

**Don't yell at me, this had to happen! Imagine the guy you may love talking smack about your best friend who you might like and who the man actually told you to be in love with, of course it would cause mayhem! But that's what makes this story so addicting! Review, please! **


	17. The Mad and The Strange

**Chapter 17, prepare to…I'm not even going to say it. Just read. Enjoy. **

"So," Nicholas recapped, cocking his head to the side as he turned back to Alice. "You're telling me, that Hatter went...for lack of a better word, mad because of me."

"As far as I know." Alice agreed, with a teasing smile. "Apparently, he thinks you're not good enough to be more than with me."

Nicholas grinned and sat back down next to Alice on the small sofa that was in his room, much like Alice's. "Well, I could have told him that much." He smiled at Alice and put an arm around her shoulder, to which Alice did not object. "He's jealous, isn't he?"

Alice shrugged bitterly. "I don't know what he is anymore. Every time I try to talk to him he either blows me off or screams at me."

Nicholas smiled and messed up her hair, something that he knew Alice hated. "So, it's true then."

"What's true?" Alice asked.

"When you were still sick," Nicholas explained. "And I went down to go talk to the queen; she told me that a woman's mind is a complicated thing."

Alice raised a single eye brow. "Oh?"

"Before you attack me with your vopal sword," He interrupted with a laugh. "She also told me that a man's mind is even more so."

"How do you think that?" Alice asked.

"Well, easy." Nicholas continued. "Girls seem to notice the tiniest thing, the smallest detail in everything that men usually overlook. And when they're angry or upset they have a reason to be that men usually over look because they don't understand."

"They're oblivious." Alice realized.

"Well," Nicholas grinned. "At least I know I am."

Alice blinked. "Why?"

"I didn't know you loved him," He said a matter of factly. "Until after you kissed me."

Alice knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to tell him it wasn't true, she wanted to tell him everything he wanted hear, but she was tired of all the secrets and all the lies between them.

"Yes," She whispered, looking down at her hands.

"But now?" Nicholas asked after a long silence.

Alice heaved a long sigh. "Now, I don't care."

Nicholas turned to her. "Really?"

Alice rolled her eyes and stood, walking over to the floor length window that led out to a smaller balcony then her own. "He told me I should get over him, and I am. He's a married man, so I'll find someone else."

Alice could hear something being moved behind her, and then save Nicholas' faded reflection in the glass, with a wide smile and something behind his back.

"What's that?" Alice asked, turning around and pressing her back against the cool window.

'This," Nicholas grinned, and pulled out a small brown leather bound book. "Is what I have been working on since I got here."

"My book!" Alice cried, grabbing for it and staring at its familiar faded cover. Then, she shot her head back up and glared at Nicholas. "_You, _stole my book?"

"Borrowed, is a better word." Nicholas replied and Alice smacked him with said object. "Hey, what was that for?"

"What do you think that was for?" Alice teased, opening the book and flipping through some of the pages, before she noticed that something was wrong. "Nicholas, what did you do?"

"I made some adjustments." He replied nonchalantly, and he did. Every page had a picture of Underland or one of its residences. Te picture of the tweedles looked as if many minute they start arguing and the Cheshire cat looked as if he would disappear off the page. He made a perfectly detailed picture of Mirana and Mally, and Thackery and even the Hatter and Absoulm too.

"It's amazing." Alice whispered, and flipped through more pages, and smiled as a pair of rainbow eyes gleamed up front he page. "You even added a page for Irisa."

"Everyone's in there." Nicholas said confidently. "But my favorite is the last page."

Instantly Alice flipped to the last page, and nearly dropped the book at what she saw.

Looking up from the page, Alice saw herself, wearing the exact dress she wore the day of the party. Actually the exact dress she wore after she came back to the part, the bottom of the dress was dirty and her hair was wild in knots. And on the other page was Alice wearing her armor as she walked out to battle, vopal sword in hand.

"Wow," She whispered.

Nicholas nodded. "I know,"

She looked up, and their eyes met. And something changed for Alice completely. She saw Nicholas in a new way, a way that was maybe more then a friend or maybe just unimaginable gratefulness, but either way she was happy. "Thank you, Nicholas." She whispered. "This is…..this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

Nicholas' grin widened, and he put an arm around Alice's shoulders. "Then now were even."

They were so close, his lips nearly inches away form hers and the Hatter's words echoed relentlessly in her mind so when Alice opened her eyes, she shouldn't have been as surprised as Nicholas to find herself kissing him.

. . .

"What is that?" Margret asked, running through the door and reaching the table in half a second then staring down at the odd looking map. "Where did you…"

"I'm sorry," Stayne apologized, starting to wrap up the map and putting it back inside his black satchel. "I didn't mean for you to see-"

"Don't." Margret snapped, grabbing his wrist that still held the map. "Don't put it away. Let us see it."

The Stayne nodded wearily and without a word unwrapped it, and let the two mortals view the map of his homeland. Once Lowell was next to Margret the two couldn't let their eyes leave the large piece of paper, delicate writing could be seen every so often, and Margret was shocked to see that there were two castles. And finally, the couple looked up and stared at the naïve.

"What is this place?" Margret whispered.

Stayne grinned, a wild and wicked smile and placed a single hand on the edge of the paper. "This is Wonderland."

**I told you, you would hate me. But you have to admit it was really sweet of Nicholas to do that. I know it's kind of biased because Nicholas is my character but come on, somebody has to like him. Please review! **


	18. Mad In The Worst Possible Way

**chapter 18, again i say this story is going by fast, and i like it! Now enjoy!**

Kissing Nicholas was still as she remembered, sweet, soft, and tender. He treated her as if she was a delicate flower, but knew she was stronger then she looked. It was as if he was telling this to her clear as day, but instead his lips were against hers, his hand was in her hair and his arm was around her waist.

And she was responding to him! Her hand's snaked around his neck, pulling herself closer. Though, the kiss did seem to lack something it was still a very pleasant, but not as pleasant as the hatter's.

_No, _Alice thought stubbornly. _I will not think about the Hatter while I'm kissing Nicholas. _But as she thought the thought, it grew ever more faint and then none existent. The way Hatter kissed her was impossibly indescribably. Hi's lips, his tough, his being send shivers up her spine and kissing him was like kissing fire that never burned you. It was beautiful, and it was bliss.

And then, it was over. It seemed like a mutual decision, as they both pulled back, arms still around one another and eyes locked in a never breaking gaze. And then, someone opened the door.

"Nicholas, Have you seen-" Irisa walked in, and saw the state of which Nicholas and Alice were in. And not far behind her, they heard the Hatter's voice.

. . .

"Hide!" Irisa whispered urgently, and Alice jumped away form Nicholas, following Irisa's instructions. If the Hatter saw that Alice was in Nicholas' room, who knows what he would do.

For lack of a better hiding spot she ended up in one of Nicholas' closets. Why he would need more then one, she didn't know but she didn't question it now. Just take a long deep breath and shut the door, cloaking her in darkness.

"Nicholas," She heard the Hatter's loud muffled voice from behind the door, so she pressed her ear against it. "We'd thought we'd find you in here."

"Well, it is my room." Nicholas joked, but Alice had known him long enough to hear the slight strain behind his words. "So, it's a pretty good guess I'd be in here."

"Yes," Irisa chirped in, and Alice could hear her better then the others. Could she be closer? "But, no offence to you? Nicholas, we were actually looking for Alice. Have you seen her?"

"Oh, actually I think he's outside." Nicholas said smoothly. "You might want to check there next."

"Oh, thank you Nicholas." Irisa thanked him, and then started walking away when Hatter interrupted her.

"Nicholas," Hatter replied. "Can I ask you for some…advice?"

"Advice?" Nicholas replied, and Alice's heart sank. Why would he be asking advice? Who knew how long she was going to be in this closet. "Sure, about what?"

"Well, you see it's about when we find Alice." He continued, and Alice could hear Irisa's sudden intake of breath. "Something has happened."

"Happened?" Nicholas asked, and Irisa was suddenly speaking quickly.

"Hatter, no." She insisted. "Mirana told us to tell Alice first."

"But I'd really like to know how to tell her." Hatter interrupted and turned to Nicholas. "You see, well something happened with Iracebeth."

"Iracebeth?" Nicholas asked. "What? Is she alright?"

"Well, no she isn't." He continued, and Alice pushed herself closer to the door. "Something happened to her, and she's awake but she's mad."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Nicholas asked playfully, but then sobered up. "What do you mean, mad?"

"She's gone absolutely insane." Irisa whispered. "And it's serious. She's saying…things. Mad and dark things. And they're all centered around Alice."

"God," Nicholas whispered.

"And now." Hatter continued, softer. "We need to tell Alice. The queen's worry about her, you see. And….oh…"

"Tarrant?" Irisa asked, anxiously. And her voice grew farther away. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course but..." He paused and took a deep steady breath. "I'd like to know, how to tell Alice without upsetting her. She can…overreact, sometimes."

_Overreact? _Alice thought furiously, _he's the one who through a tantrum when she even mentioned the thought of being more then friends with Nicholas! _But the thought was pushed away by Iracebeth's condition. Why could being mad here a bad thing?

"-and we obviously don't want her running away to who knows where just because I said something she doesn't like." He finished.

"Hatter?" Nicholas whispered. "What are you? What are you saying? Do you-"

"I think," He said carefully. "Some things just cause problems. And I don't want to start another feud because of something out of my control."

"So the last time you two fought, it was because of something that you couldn't help but say?" Nicholas said horrified.

"Exactly." Hatter replied at ease. "I just fee; that lately, she's been such a little brat. We can't have a single conversation without her saying things that she knows will hurt me. She's a witch."

"Hatter!" Irisa cried, but it was too late. Alice burst from her closet hidden, much to everyone's dismay and ran.

Even if it proved everything that Hatter had said, she still ran. Because, in all honesty, if you were faced with a man who had no respect for you and had broken your heart, as apposed to a mad woman you would, run to the woman every time.

. . .

"Wonderland?" Lowell repeated, but Margret shook her head.

"That's it, Tarrant." She yelled, and stood, slamming both hands on the table. "That is the very last straw."

"Excuse me?" Stayne snapped back, and slammed his own hands on the table, the two leaning towards each other in a glaring face off.

"You," She growled. "Get out of my house, right now."

"Margret." Lowell hissed, mostly out of embarrassment, but also fear. "You shouldn't speak to our guest like that."

"He is no longer a guest of mine." Margret hissed. Turning away and facing her husband. "This man belongs in a mad house, not our home."

"Like your aunt?" Stayne asked, and Margret flinched and turned back to him.

"Don't you dare speak to me about her." She screamed. "

"Oh I don't?" Stayne asked sarcastically. "Look at me Margret. So you think I'm lying? This is an actually place, and this is where your sister has gone. And if you ever want to see your mother awake again, I suggest you listen!"

Margret glared at him for one more moment, then sat back down, while her guest gained more composure and looked back down at the map in his hands. "How do we get there?"

"That," Stayne grinned wildly. "Is the easy part."

**Dun, dun, dun! Oh so many cliff hangers. And yes, I agree Steph5756lovestwilight the Hatter does need to stop acing like a teenage girl. But, that is a subject for another time; currently we are dealing with two other dramas here, not including him! What do you think Iracebeth is saying? And who do you think Stayne, actually saying something truthful for once thank you, is talking about? Review! **


	19. Left Behind

**Chapter 19, and I like this one, Mostly because I kind of like Iracebeth being mad, she's just so much fun. Enjoy! **

"She's this way." A male servant said, leading Alice grandly down a long, unfamiliar hallway. Everything here was start, sharp and clean. This was the infirmary.

"She's also been restricted." He was continuing, stopping in front of a large door with a lock. As he pulled out the key he continued worriedly. "She's been posing a threat to others and we don't think it would be wise."

"I'll be fine." Alice snapped, and winced as the boy flinched and quickly handed her the key then ran away. Her heart went out to the boy, she shouldn't have yelled at him, but she had other things to do. Much bigger things in fact.

With a sigh Alice opened the door, and the n she saw what had become of Iracebeth.

Her hair fell freely down her shoulders now, and she was facing away from Alice, sitting on a plain chair, one of the only things in her scarce rom. There was a bed, and a small toilet and sink but other then that, there was only darkness. This was a cage, and she was her own prisoner.

"Alice," Iracebeth said calmly, and Alice tried not to flinch herself as she let the door fall behind her. Quickly, she shoved the key into a small pocket of her dress and took a few steps into the room before Iracebeth's harsh voice stopped her.

"No farther." She called. "It won't be safe for you."

"You won't hurt me." Alice said, and she meant it. Even if she didn't know the woman very well, she knew that much was true.

"But they don't know that, do they?" Iracebeth teased, and turned around to face Alice. Dark shadows sagged under her eyes and she looked horribly distraught. As if she'd been to hell and back, this was probably a very true statement. They think I've gone absolutely mad. I'm worst then the Hatter now, can't control myself and can't say anything but nonsense."

"But that's not true." Alice retorted.

"Oh," Iracebeth replied. "But it is."

"How could that be true?" Alice asked, her brow furrowing in frustration. "You're speaking to me and making perfect sense."

"Because he doesn't need to put on a show for you." She replied sadly, and cocked her head to the side. "His job is done, and now he's just left me behind. And empty pawn with no more value."

"But how?" Alice started but Iracebeth cut her off.

"He's quite good, you know." She continued, and turned away from Alice, staring at the wall. "He's a very good player in this game. Though he keeps breaking all the rules. But I wonder, how can he break them if he is the one to create them? What's the point?"

"Iracebeth," Alice pleaded. "You have to tell me, what he's doing."

"Nothing." The mad woman laughed, and it was as if Alice could see sanity slipping through her fingers. "He's not doing a thing now, he's waiting."

"For what?" Alice urged taking a hesitant step closer. "Iracebeth please, you have to tell me what-"

"NO!" Iracebeth roared, and Alice jumped back, her eyes wide with terror, but the woman just kept smiling and laughing.

"He's seen things." Iracebeth said between laughs as she sang. "He's seen things, he's seen thing. Such things he's seen, I swear." She paused and cocked her head to the side, although still facing the wall. "Do you know what he's seen?"

Alice was silent, as Iracebeth turned her head around again and sprang to her feet, running toward s Alice but stopping inches away from her, her feet stopping but her face leaning dangerously close to Alice's.

"He's going to win." She whispered.

"What's his prize?" Alice asked dangerously.

"I don't know!" Iracebeth said with another laugh, and turned away, running anxious hands through her hair. "He won't tell me, he doesn't tell me anything. Not a thing. Nope, nope, nope."

"Is he going to come back?" Alice asked. She knew at this point any answers Iracebeth could give her were useless, but she needed them none the less, so she continued to ask. "Back to Underland soon?"

"Of course, my dear." Iracebeth said confidently. "He needs too."

"Why?" Alice asked, still in a cautious manor.

"Because here he's stronger." She replied sadly, and turned around, looking at Alice thoughtfully. "What are you wearing to the party?"

Alice blinked. "Excuse me?"

"The party, darling." The red queen continued. "What are you wearing? You most certainly must look your best, everyone will be there."

"Everyone?" Alice echoed. The way she said that, it sounded like it was a warning? Did she mean that Stayne would be at the party, too?

"Yes," She replied thoughtfully and ran back up to her, turning her around and, pushing her towards the door. "Sorry to put you out, but I really must be going. The party will be here soon, no? You must look your absolute best, Alice. You give me your word. Because this will be such a wonderful night for you."

Alice turned around for one moment, but then Iracebeth pushed her though the now open doorway and slammed it shut, leaving Alice alone in the long corridor.

. . .

Chess was apprehensive.

Something about dear Irisa's party unsettled him, something dark and sinister behind its careless demeanor that even the hostess herself didn't see, but he did. And that's how he came upon the familiar blue butterfly's mushroom patch.

"Chessur." The Butterfly said, after a deep puff of his Hookah, blue smoke filling around himself like a curtain of protection, blocking the cat's nearly perfect vision of sight. "To what, do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

"I'm here asking for a small favor," The Cat admitted, and appeared behind the blue butterfly, much to the insect's unamusement. "Would I be able to glimpse at the oraculm for just one moment?"

"Oh," Absoulm replied hazily, and turned his head slightly to the lower mushroom where the object in question, lay. "Just for a moment."

"That," The cat said appearing behind the oraculam a she laid it out in front of him. "Is all the time I need."

But as the cat unfolded the old script of paper, he felt the hair on his entire body stand up on end, as the pictures on the pages faded and then disappeared.

**What the last part means, I have no idea. But I seem to have a habit of finding things to work in the future with random things I don't know why I write now. It's weird but it works! Review please! **


	20. Unforgettable

**Chapter 20! No real point to the chapter except to kill time. But that's still cool, enjoy. **

"Well, there you are." Irisa called form down the hall as Alice walked out of her room the next day. She pushed her freshly brushed hair behind her shoulders and pulled on the end of her sparkling blue dress. She needed the comfort more then she did the actually clothing, but wearing her favorite color made her feel better no matter where she was or what she was facing.

"Irisa," Alice said warmly as Irisa skipped next to her, loping her arm through Alice's and pulling her down the long corridor towards another one. "Um, where are we going?"

"My room," Irisa replied, passing a large group of servants holding tin trays that smelled unbelievably good even through the metal. Seeing Alice's gaze, she grinned and started running, puling lice in tow and stopped in front of a plain white door with a bright red handle that stood out from all the white and silver.

"This is your room?" Alice asked, with a raised eye brow and Irisa nodded enthusiastically.

"Mine and mine alone." She replied, and crouched down, pulling a small silver key form the side of her shoe and putting it into the red lock. "It's red because it's how I know the difference compared to everything else here." The door clicked, and Irisa grinned, pushing it open wide and bowed. "Welcome, to my world."

Irisa room was like nothing Alice had ever seen. Nothing was the same color as the next, the curtains were a dark green and over a dark and lush purple carpet. A long table of orange was toppled with hats, dress fabrics, sketches and paints. The walls were splattered with different colors, each a distinct shade she matching her rainbow eyes and on a medium sized blue table surrounded by color full chairs was a tray of Underland food and cups of exotic juices.

"Whoa," Alice breathed.

Irisa nodded enthusiastically and skipped inside, twisting and twirling among her colorful room. And after a moments hesitation Alice grinned and shut the door behind her, spinning around with her friend.

"This is amazing!" Alice cried, and sat down onto the one of the chairs picking up a pastry filled with bright pink jelly. "But, why are we here?"

"Because," Irisa said bitterly and walked over to one of the smaller doors of the room and opened it, pulling out a familiar blue dress that was ripped and torn in many places. "I'm going to have to kill my husband after I make our new dress."

"He did that?" Alice said, shocked. "How could he do that?"

"He can't control himself when he get's like that." Irisa said, but in her eyes Alice saw that she was worried. "I swore I could kill him though when I found it. But, I can't." She grinned wickedly. "I'll have no one to dance with at the party, then."

Alice grinned back. "True, but you could always dance with me and Nicholas." She cocked her head at the dress sadly. "I'm sorry, about the dress. I guess I can wear another one…."

"Oh, no!" Irisa cried, and threw the dress onto the table, picking up a long piece of fabric. "We're going to make you a new one."

"A new dress?" Alice echoed unconvinced. "Do we have enough time?"

"You don't know me very well, do you?" Irisa joked. "I can make a dress in about a day, but I want to make sure it's one you'll absolutely love."

"Thank you," Alice thanked, and hugged hr friend. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well," Irisa grinned, and pulled out a sketch of a gorgeous gown. "It's similar to my original idea, with some changes. The sleeves, for one have lace at the ends and kind of fan out in slight bell shape at the elbow. And for one, the front of the dress stops." She pointed just above her knees. "But continued along the back to your ankles. Your shoulders will still be bare, but the lace trim can still follow around all around." She smiled, bu5t then pursed her lips. "Although, it can't be blue this time. I ran out of that fabric when I made your original dress, although."

"It's amazing," Alice mused, looking at the draft. "I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's ready." She paused and turned to Irisa. "What are you wearing?"

"That," Irisa grinned. "Is something I've been waiting for you to ask." She jumped into the closet, literally shutting the door behind her and five minutes later, strode out, wearing something, unbelievably Irisa-like.

The top was like a corset, a tiny red bow leading down a lacy front with black all around the rest and a red stripe on each side next to the lace then another near the end leading from two other red bows located on each of her hips. Her skirts were layered, first red al around, then black then red again, ending just above her knees. She twirled, and Alice saw a bright red bow at her back.

Her pale legs were bare, and she was wearing pointed red heels with black ribbons laced at the toe and lace around the edges top. And on her head, a small black top hat with black lace and a bright red heart on it.

"That looks like something I'd see someone wearing in the red court." Alice joked.

"That's what I modeled it after." Irisa admitted. "Isn't it wild?" She spun around and curtsied low for Alice.

"It is." Alice agreed. And it was beautiful, something perfect for Irisa.

"Now," she grinned and walked back towards her closet and changed back into her normal mad sort of clothes and sat down a the table, while Alice did the same. "We, still need to practice your dance moves."

Alice nodded, and for the rest of the day the two girls danced and sewed then finally night fall fell and Irisa and Alice parted ways. "I'll be by your room in the morning to help you get ready for the party."

"It's tomorrow?" Alice echoed. It couldn't be, it had only been….three days.

"Of course." Irisa grinned. "I'd finished everything yesterday. And you'll dress will be done before tomorrow."

"Thank you, Irisa." Alice said softly, hugging her friend again. "You're a wonderful friend."

"You too, Alice." Irisa said back, hugging Alice too.

_Tomorrow, _Alice thought. _Is going to be an unforgettable day. _

And, even if Alice didn't believe it fully it really would be unforgettable.

**Anyone else pissed hatter destroyed Alice's dress? Well I am sorry; because I rethought the party scene and thought the dress would be better if she weren't in blue. Weird, but don't judge my thought process? Please review because ****I love when you do! **


	21. Preparations

**Chapter 21 and I am obviously excited for the big party, are you? Please enjoy!**

"Alice," Irisa called, form behind the door and Alice blinked her sleepy eyes awake. "Come on, it's time to get up!"

"I'm still asleep, Irisa!" Alice called back, but Irisa opened the door and shut it behind her, locking it while Alice turned around and buried her head in her fluffy pillow. "Come back later."

"Not likely." Irisa said, and jumped onto Alice's bed. "Come on, its two hours past noon, and you still aren't dress yet."

"Noon?" Alice echoed, sitting up in bed, and shaking out her blonde hair. What had she been doing last night? She'd fallen asleep early, she wouldn't have slept all that long, would she? "What happened to being here in the morning?"

"You've been dead asleep all day, that's what." Irisa interrupted and jumped up, running towards the door and opening it crack, "And I couldn't wake you up because I had last minute party planning, so we've got to go." Irisa looked both ways out the doorway and whistled.

"What's that for?" Alice asked, pulling out of her blankets and standing at the foot of her bed, raking through her blonde hair with her bare fingers.

"That's the signal." Irisa replied, and opened the rest of the door to allow five maids inside, each carrying various object, including Irisa's dress, Alice's dress, make up, brushes, what looked like two velvet boxes and various other things. "For them." Irisa shut the door and locked it again, walking towards Alice and taking her hand and pulling her to face the women. "These, are who are going to help transform you for the party." Irisa said confidently gesturing to each girl. "This is, Marie, Anna, Bernice, Lucy and Mia. Ladies," Irisa addressed the girls. "You mission, is to help me. Do you choose to accept it?"

"Of course." They sang in unison, and then they went to work.

Setting Alice in a chair, they brushed and curled her hair, rolling it close to her hair while they rubbed her hands and feet with sweet smelling lotion and adding makeup to Alice's face. After three hours of straight work, to which Alice was unable to go to sleep, they maids finally finished and left, leaving Alice and Irisa to get dressed on their own.

"Ready to see your dress?" Irisa asked. Her hair was brushed straight down past her shoulders and she was wearing a white robe exactly like Alice's.

"Yes," Alice said enthusiastically, and Irisa grinned, and pulled out the white dress from the closet she'd put it I n when the maids came in. It looked exactly how it had on paper, only now; she could actually touch it and wear it. "Irisa…"

"I know." Irisa grinned, and held out the dress for Alice to take. "Go put it on; we have to finish your hair."

Alice nodded and took the dress with her into the bathroom, pulling it over her head and glancing at herself in the mirror. The white fabric clung to her body like a second skin, accentuating hips and curves she didn't even know she had, and walked back into her bed room.

"Alice!" Irisa gushed, wearing her own dress and putting her hat in her dark hair. "You look beautiful, but we still need to finish your hair."

Sitting down, Alice let Irisa brush out her golden locks and carefully layered them around her head. Finally, Alice was done and sat up, smiling at herself in her own three way mirror and Irisa behind her. "It's perfect."

"Almost." Irisa interjected, and walked behind Alice and pulled out three black velvet boxes. "I found these when I was raiding the red queen castle room she's trapped me in, and I thought these would be perfect for tonight." She opened the first box, and a necklace of glittering gems winked at Alice. The chocker's gems dripped down and stopped an inch or two before her chest. Clumps of crystal shone in the afternoon sun and glimmered for Alice and Irisa. The necklace was beautiful.

"Wow," Alice whispered, and Irisa nodded, picking up the necklace and fastening it around Alice's neck. Even though it looked like it would be heavy, the necklace was light and seem to fit perfectly into Alice's neck as if it were made for her. "Irisa….thank you."

"And I'm not done yet." She grinned and pulled out a necklace of her own, a heart shaped crystal of bright red, on a small black ribbon that fit snuggly on Irisa's neck while she clasped the clip behind it. Finally, Irisa brought out the biggest box, and pulled out a silver circlet.

Shining silver vines curled and twisted, creating the ring for someone to wear, and in the middle of the piece was a dark black stone, flickering with colors Alice had never seen before. Electric green, static yellow, flaring orange, hot pink, bright red, and cerulean blue, speckled the stone. It was the most beautiful thing that Alice had ever seen, the colors swarmed together, and the only way Alice knew that the original shone was black was the inside of it.

"It's beautiful." Alice mouthed, but that didn't even serve the jewelry justice. It was the most beautiful thing Alice had ever seen and now she was going to wear it to a party?

"I think it was Mirana's." Irisa explained, fixing Alice's hair then putting the circlet on top. "I've seen her in some old paintings wearing it."

"Really?" Alice asked, turning to face Irisa. "Then how…."

"Iracebeth must have stolen it." Irisa replied casually, looking into the mirror awkwardly and fluffing her hair. "There, I think we're perfect, don't you?"

Alice nodded and stood, standing next to Irisa and looking at their reflections in the mirror. The two girls were like opposites, Alice's golden hair and plain white dress as opposed to Irisa's dark hair and mad dress, but harmonious all the same.

Irisa grinned, and held out her arm for Alice to take. "Are you ready?"

Alice grinned back, and nodded, then, arm in arm the two girls walked down to go to the grand party.

. . .

"So, it's decided then." Stayne said sternly. He watched Margret and Lowell, carefully. And in turn, the couple watched him in the same cautious gaze. "We'll leave in a few days."

"Yes," Lowell agreed, ignoring Margret's furious gaze. "Then we'll find Alice."

"Well," Stayne said with a sigh and stood, clasping his hands before him with a smile. "I'm going to turn in for the night." The sun had gone down only an hour ago, while the trio continued to talk restlessly, but it seemed to make their guest exhausted. "Good night."

Margret looked away, glaring down at her hands while Lowell replied. "Good night, Tarrant."

Once he was up the stairs and the door shut, Margret stood, leaving her place at the table and going over to make tea for herself, while she heard her husband's sigh and footsteps come up behind her.

"Margret…" he started but she turned and glared at him.

"Don't, Lowell." She snapped. "Just, don't."

"You know your being unreasonable." He told her, and she glared at him more purposely. "We can't drop everything and leave, to a place that might not even exist, right now because you think that your sister might be trapped in a world where the people are just as mad as she is."

Margret gasped and slapped Lowell, something even he hadn't expected. "She's not mad." Margret interjected, and looked back past him to the map that was still lain out on the table. "And who says we can't?"

**Cliff hanger, so stifle my curiosity. Will Margret and Lowell leave for Underland to night? Will they miss the party? Will Hatter go absolutely nuts when he sees Alice? I don't know yet…but I will know soon, lol. Please review! **


	22. Lighting Their Way

**Chapter 22, we're so close! Enjoy! **

"Come on, Alice." Irisa called, skipping down the hallway while Alice raced after her, careful not to trip over her skirts. How Irisa could run in five inch heels was beyond Alice, but none the less she was an absolute pain to run after. "We're going to be late to the party."

"How can we be late?" Alice retorted, running up next to Irisa a bit breathlessly. "It's your party."

"Fine," Irisa rephrased, stopping effortlessly, while Alice teetered behind her. "We'll be more then a little late."

"Where is the party again?" Alice asked, and Irisa rolled her eyes, cocking her head down the long white hallway.

"I told you, Alice." Irisa replied wearily, though the way she said it was only halfhearted. "It's in one of the ballrooms; everyone will be walking aroudn the castle to the garden and then through the garden to the entrance that leads straight into the ball room."

"So, we'll go from there?" Alice asked, but Irisa shook her head.

"Of course not." Irisa explained, rolling her eyes. "Since, we are the hostesses." At Alice's sarcastic expression she rephrased. "Alright, one more so then the other. We will be entering form a different door."

"Could you be anymore dramatic, Irisa?" Alice asked but Irisa grinned.

"Of course." She chuckled. "But then, I'd probably give everyone at the party a heart attack form my dramatic tendencies." She stopped and turned to someone a bit farther up from tem. "And there she is."

Up ahead from the girls, was the white queen herself, who smiled softly when she saw Alice and Irisa and walked over to her friends.

She was wearing her hair straight down her shoulders and the gown she wore was fluffy and white, shooting out from her hips with silver lining along the edges and droplets of sparkle woven into the fabric. Her bodice was similar to the gown, the heart shaped front allowing a trail of more sparkles to flow to the skirt.

"You two look absolutely stunning." Mirana breathed, hugging both girls briefly for a moment. "Irisa, you've out down yourself."

Irisa blushed and watched as Mirana recognized the circlet Alice wore.

"Alice…" she breathed.

"You aren't angry are you?" Irisa jumped in before Alice could even move. "I'd found it when your sister still kept me under lock and key. And when I finished Alice's dress I thought it would just be perfect for her, and look it does, doesn't it?"

Mirana nodded. "It does look beautiful. And its fine, Irisa really."

"Thank you, your highness." Irisa curtsied low and Alice grinned.

"So," She asked, expectantly. "Is everyone almost at the party?"

"Alice," Mirana said warmly. "Everyone's already there."

"What?" Alice asked looking back t Irisa. "I thought you said we would just be a little late."

"We will," Irisa retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "No one's been there for more then half an hour, and we'll leave soon. We want to make sure; everyone is there before we come."

"Why?" Alice asked, but Irisa shook her head.

"Honestly, Alice." Irisa sighed, and took step back, leaning against the wall and sliding down, landing on her knees. "Haven't you heard a thing I've said? Dramatic entrances."

Alice rolled her eyes and sat down next to Irisa. "You're mad."

Irisa shrugged. "You know I am. In fact," She looked up at the queen. "Aren't we all?"

"That's true." Mirana agreed, and shockingly sat down next to Alice. "Everyone in Underland is the tiniest bit mad, or else we just wouldn't belong."

Alice nodded, and something bit at the edge of her mind. A memory perhaps?

"Do you think they'll all be there now?" Irisa asked, and Alice shook her head to get rid of the thought.

"There's only one way to find out." Mirana teased and stood.

Irisa followed her action and Alice next, and then the trio of women started down the long hallway, stopping at a single door.

"Where's this lead to?" Alice asked as Mirana pulled out a small silver key from a nearly invisible chain that was hidden beneath her hair and dress. She put the key into the lock, and turned it.

"Our grand entrance, of course." Irisa laughed, and skipped inside the darken doorway and Alice followed. Finally, Mirana walked inside the dark room, and shut the door, and the moment everything was clothed in darkness, the ceiling began to glow.

"Wow," Alice whispered, to yet another surprise as implanted crystals from the ceiling began to glow bright white, lighting their way towards a tall stair case. "When did you do this?"

"It was something my parents had done." Mirana explained, moving to the front to lead the two girls expertly through the dimly litted hall. "Ever since I was a girl, we'd always use this way as a secret entrance. It's much faster to get to any of the ballrooms, and we end up in the perfect place for a," She grinned at Irisa over her shoulder. "Dramatic entrance."

"Finally!" Irisa cried, clasping her hands to her chest. "Someone who understands me."

Mirana nodded, looking thoughtfully into the dark. "I remember the last time I came through this way was with my sister Iracebeth right before her eighteenth birthday ball."

The trio lapsed into a silence soon after that, and finally ended up at a group of doors.

"This one should be right." Mirana stated, walking towards on of the doors on the left and pushing it open cautiously. "Ready girls?"

They nodded furiously, and then the queen threw the door open, and they were blinded by a bright light.

. . .

After they let their eyes adjust to the brightness of the hallway, they walked out of the dark hallway. At the end of the brightly lit corridor was a pair of knights, as always one red and one white at the edge of a door, and beyond that they heard the mumbling of the party.

"They're ready for you, your majesty." One of the knights told her, and Mirana gave him a soft nod before she turned back to the girls. "God luck, ladies."

"I'm so excited." Irisa shrieked softly, when the doors finally shut, and they stood just beyond them, waiting for them to be open.

"Me too." Alice admitted, and she was. She had never felt so excited to go t anything before, except maybe to come back to Underland. "I can't wait to see everything you've done."

"Ladies, and gentlemen." They heard a booming voice proclaim, despite the thick white door. "I present to you the hostesses of our party. The whimsical and charming, lady Irisa Marie Hightopp."

"Whimsical and charming." Irisa repeated. "I rather like that."

"And our fierce and lovely champion," They continued. "Alice Kingsleigh."

The applause from the other side of the door was deafening, and then the two doors pulled open, and Alice and Irisa strode in, side by side.

**I know, I'm totally dragging out the party scene, but come on. I wouldn't be the author you know without many, many, many cliff hangers, would you? Please review because you know I love when you do!**


	23. Will You Dance?

**Chapter 23. I am super happy, for reasons I will explain at the end, so please read and enjoy.**

Everyone watched as Irisa and Alice walked out of the hallway and stopped at the top of a long silver stair case. The knights on either side of them leaned on their weapons and clapped along with all the guests making a thunder of applause.

There were nearly seven hundred people here.

Everyone Alice could ever had imagined had shown up, the tweedles, the dodo bird, Absoulm, the March Hare and Mallymkun too and of course the Cheshire cat. But mostly there were people Alice had never met before, she saw large birds darting to and fro with conversation as they clammed, and a large turtle slowly making his way to a large table dotted with treats and beverages. She saw a small lizard, wearing proper gentlemen's clothing grin up at Alice as if she knew him, and she did.

_Bill, _She remembered from the first time she'd come to Underland.

Irisa poked Alice behind her back, and Alice turned towards her, seeing that Irisa wanted to go down to the actual party instead of just standing above it. Alice nodded, and walked down the stair case beside her, intent on going to see her friends first then to find Nicholas and the Hatter.

"Alice!" The Tweedles said in synchronized as they pushed through the crowd and grabbed both of her hands, pulling her towards the long table while Irisa skipped behind them. Standing around the refreshments was the March Hare, Mally, Chess, Absoulm, who was sitting daintily on the leaf of a flower that was speaking to a what looked like a seal, and Uilleam, the blue dodo bird with a pair of spectacles balance don his beak.

"There you are," Mally whined, but the mouse's mouth was turned up in a furry grin. "We've been waiting for you forever."

"Don't blame me." Alice joked, cocking her head towards Irisa. "_She'_s the one who wanted to make a _grand_ entrance.

"You know it was amazing." Irisa retorted, walking over to the table and picking up two champagne glasses filled with bright green liquid. "Here Alice, try this."

"If this makes me shrink, grow, or sprout wings any time soon Irisa," Alice swore, taking the glass from her friend while everyone started to talk at once. "I'll kill you."

"Where's the trust?" Irisa asked, taking a sip of her own glass, while Alice tried to answer everyone's questions a once.

"Are you enjoying the party so far?" Uilleam asked.

"What's that you're wearing on your head?" Mally asked.

"Would you like some sugar?" the March Hare asked, even though Alice wasn't precisely sure he knew that he wasn't at a tea party, still why upset him by telling him where he is isn't where he expects to be.

"Why haven't you visited us?" Tweedle Dee asked.

"She's been busy planning this party, is why." Tweedle Dum retorted.

"But how would we know she was when she couldn't see us to tell us?" Tweedle Dee pointed out, and the two were launched into a discussion of if Alice's busy schedule of party planning could have been told to them without jeopardizing it, but if so then she would have been visiting them which she hadn't. It was a hard conversation to follow, so instead Alice choose not to do it.

"Where have you been hiding?" The Chessur cat asked, appearing over her shoulder but Alice rolled her eyes.

"Alice!" Another slightly unfamiliar voice called, and Alice turned, and smiled. Standing in front of her, about two or three feet tall was Bill. The lizard was wearing a dark green jacket, a few shades darker then his skin, with a white shirt and was bowling low so Alice had to kneel just to be eye to eye to him when he actually stood. "I don't suppose you remember me, do you?"

"Of course I do, Bill." Alice replied, leaving out the part where she'd just literally remembered him when she'd seen him below her. "How are you?"

"Quite fine, thank you." Bill told her, and smiled up at Alice. "This is quite a party you and your friend have thrown."

"Thank you," Alice said, turning around to Face Irisa who was telling a group of creatures and elaborate story. "Tit means a lot for you to have come."

"Why wouldn't I?" Bill asked. "I wouldn't miss a chance to see our Champion, a girl who I first remember tripping over me and then blowing me out a chimney."

Alice winced. "You still remember that, do you?"

Before Bill could answer, someone called Alice's name behind her and she turned, seeing Nicholas and the Hatter walking towards her. And when she turned back, Bill had already disappeared into the crowd.

"Nicholas," Alice said warmly, as Nicholas cam up to her, the Hatter hadn't yet seen her, and was going towards his wife first. "You look brilliant."

Nicholas was wearing a dark purple jacket and pants with a light yellow shirt and a pair of green shoes. He looked utterly odd and amazing to Alice, but instead of accepting he complement he as still letting his eyes trail over Alice's ensemble.

"I look brilliant?" Nicholas asked. "I'd rather say you look more brilliant then brilliant. Who made that dress, Alice? It's absolutely perfect for you."

"Oh," Alice blushed and looked down, letting her hand play with the edge of her dress. "Me and Irisa made it yesterday, since Hatter destroyed my other one."

"When did he do that?" Nicholas asked.

Alice shrugged and looked back up at Nicholas quickly. "Yesterday morning I think, why?"

"He couldn't have." Nicholas explained. "He'd been teaching make some last minute dance moves that morning." He shook his head. "You were right, Alice. He can do the best Futterwaken I've ever seen."

Alice grinned, but what Nicholas had said gnawed at the edge of her mind. _How could he have destroyed my dress if he'd been dancing with Nicholas? Curiouser and curiouser._

"Alice!" Irisa called, and both Alice and Nicholas turned as Irisa and the Hater walked towards them hand in hand.

. . .

"Are you two having fun?" Irisa asked, and both of them nodded.

"Are you two?" Nicholas asked, in a playful manor.

Irisa nodded enthusiastically, and the Hatter nodded too, his eyes lingering on Alice for a moment longer then they should have.

The group started talking about unimportant thing, if the Hatter would do his famous Futterwaken tonight, or if they'd lay all the best songs, and then finally the orchestra started playing a song, it was slow ad then they watched as a slow turtle stood before the group and started to warm up his deep vocals for a slow song.

"The Lobster Quadrille!" Irisa sang, and grinned at Alice. "This is one of my favorite songs."

"Then why don't we dance?" Nicholas asked and held out a hand to Alice. "May I?"

"Maybe she should dance with someone with more experience." The Hatter retorted politely, and held out his own hand for Alice to take. "Shall we?"

So, Alice froze. Staring between the Hatter and Nicholas, with open hands for her to take to dance, and wondered which one she should choose.

**Well, isn't this a loaded situation, I wonder which one she'll choose. Anyway, to due my unbelievably amazing good luck, while I was at a used book store, I found a book wit h the original Alice in Wonderland story in it by Lewis Carroll. Awesome, right? Well besides that. I have had an epiphany, don't know exactly what that means but I'm hoping it means super, amazing, brilliant idea! Of course, I'm going to put it in this story, and I am absolutely sure, none of you will expect it. But, now I have to wait for the right time to introduce it. Dang…..alright, this unbelievably long author's note is over, now please review! **


	24. The Lobster Quadrille

**Chapter 24, isn't this going by fast? And, for all my friends, I must make you do a favor. When you're reading this, at the part when the dance starts I wan you to find the song the Lobster Quadrille on YouTube. Preferably the re-do Franz Ferdinand. Thank you, with that I send you on your merry way to read. Enjoy,**

"Come on, Alice." Nicholas said, looking at her eagerly. "The dance is about to start."

Alice looked between the two men, everything in her heart told her to take the Hatter's bandaged hand, but her brain reminded her that Nicholas really did love her, and had never said so much as an unpleasant complement to Alice.

"Yes, Alice." The Hatter agreed, his green eyes shining. "Who will you be dancing with?"

"You know," Irisa interjected, taking a step forward. "Tarrant might have a point, Nicholas. Alice should have her first dance with someone who knows how to do the Quadrille." Alice turned slightly, her eyes pleading for Irisa to stop, but at the same time to go on. "That's why _I_, will be dancing with her."

Nicholas and Tarrant blinked, holding the confused expressions and Irisa linked her arm with Alice's and pulled her towards the dance floor where two lines were being assembled.

Walking into one, Irisa turned to whisper to Alice. "You looked like you needed help."

"I did." Alice whispered, turning to face the people along the other line. "But, you didn't have to do that."

"I did," Irisa insisted, honestly. "I knew what you were thinking, two sweet men. One, who if I probably don't pick will probably go a bit mad and be let's face it, quite rude, or a boy that you know loves you and will be unbelievably hurt if you didn't pick him." She threw her black tangle of hair back. "So, what else to do but make the decision for you? And Irisa swoops in and saves the day again." She grinned. "Free of charge, no less."

"You're the best," Alice told her, truly meaning it.

"Aren't I?" Irisa joked, and put both hands behind her back, and after a moment, Alice did the same. "You remember how to do the Quadrille, don't you?"

"I think so," Alice admitted, looking around the room where people had started to pair up, and face each other in a straight line. "But, won't we need lobsters?"

"Traditionally," Irisa explained, as two more dancers ran across to the end of their line. "But, we aren't at a beach. Nor do we have as many jellyfish to clean up. The lobsters too, wouldn't like being out of the water for so long. But, no matter. One partner serves as the lobster." She grinned. "I guess that can be you, since I know what to do."

"Yet?" Alice echoed, but the orchestra had already started to play the song and now the two lines moved into a large circle.

First, she and Irisa advanced twice, and twirled around, ending up switching partners and putting Alice with a large cat, with glowing golden eyes. Then, retired in the same order, twisting back and ending up with Irisa again.

"Ready?" Irisa whispered, twirling one way with Alice twice, and then the other way twice.

"For what?" Alice asked, as Irisa grabbed her around the waist and thrust her into the air, about five or six feet, and sending her into the arms of one of the knights.

Alice and the Knight grinned at one another as they stood next to each other. He put his right foot out, then back next to his other foot and out again, then finally over his ankle to his other side while Alice mimicked the action.

Next they moved towards the right, first right foot out, the left foot then crossing the right ankle, and then their right again. Then cross their right foot over the knee, then back out, then cross the back. Then out again, and over their knee.

They went back to their original place, tapped their right heel in front of themselves then back, and then repeat the action with their left. Then, one large step back, three small steps forward then slide to the right, and then to the left and spun around three times in place.

They advanced twice again, retired in the same order and traded Alice over to stand with Mirana who grinned at Alice as they danced; then sent her back to the knight.

"Here we go," The man whispered, and threw Alice up, sending her into another pair of strong hands.

"Having fun?" A familiar voice whispered into her ear as he put her back down and stood next to her, dancing effortlessly.

"Quite," Alice replied to the Hatter, turning. "Although, it's no Futterwaken."

'True." Hatter agreed, crossing his leg over his knee. "But, a lovely dance all the less. And, you are quite the better dance partner then a lobster."

Alice grinned, twirling back to her original place. "I feel the same way."

After a few moments of silence, the Hatter finally blurted out. "I'm sorry you aren't wearing your original dress."

"It's alright," Alice replied, taking a few steps back. "I like this dress, too. I helped Irisa design it."

"It's beautiful," He told her, as he picked her up and tossed her into the air, landing in the eager arms of Nicholas.

"You know," He grinned, as they danced, a bit off key as they were in most things they did together. "I'm actually staring to like meeting you like this."

"Like what?" Alice teased.

"Like," Nicholas said, as he lowered his knee. "Catching you when you fall."

"I would land on my feet," Alice pointed out. "If you didn't always interrupt me, by catching me."

"So you're a cat now, are you?" Nicholas joked, as they walked to the left.

"Maybe," Alice wondered. "Chess and I are both good at disappearing."

"And I'm even better at finding you both" Nicholas joked.

Alice rolled her eyes. "What ever you say."

They danced silently for a few moments, as she did with the Hatter, and Alice felt more relaxed with while she danced with him. It wasn't as if she was trying to impress Nicholas, like she had tried to do with Hatter, but it was more playful. They walked backwards, and forwards then sent Alice over to another person, an older woman with long white hair pulled into a bun and back towards him, as he grabbed her around the waist. "See you soon,"

He threw her into the air, and she ended back into Irisa's hands.

"This is fun, isn't it?" Irisa asked and Alice nodded, as they twirled and danced. Alice had finally gotten the handle of the dance that they did.

"I can tell why it's your favorite," Alice told her, while they slid to the left. "Even if we don't have lobsters."

"That one is much easier." Irisa explained, with a wide smile. "Although they do tend to pinch you your first time."

"Really?" Alice asked, sliding and then taking a large step back. "They're hostile then?"

"Oh, no." Irisa explained, sliding to the left and the right then spinning around three times. "In fact, they're quite polite when you get to know them."

The girls faced each other, a new part of the dance and pressed their hands to one another, walking in a slow circle to the left, then the right and back to the left. They pulled their hands back, folding them behind their backs and jumping to the left, then the right and to the left, mirroring each move perfectly.

Finally, they spun away from each other and jumped from the left to the right and back with the first person they faced, then twirled back. And, as the last notes played, they bowed deeply to each other and grinned when it was over.

"You did well," Irisa said, as they walked off the dance floor towards the tables. "Especially if it was your first time. You should have seen the first time I did it, I fell so many times."

"Thanks," Alice replied, and then someone called her name and she turned, shocked at who she saw.

**The dance moves, taking forever to actually write down, I got from an Alice in Wonderland movie made in 1999. It took forever but I did just because I love you guys. So, who is Alice seeing that's causing her shock? Guesses? Review! And, btw tips from two of my new readers, zampa-penna and CatsGoMao. And, I wrote this chapter about a week ago, so I'm sorry, I haven't posted in awhile. **


	25. What Is and What Is Not

**Chapter 25! No super long author's note up here, just read! Enjoy!**

"Absoulm," Alice said, taking a step back from where the butterfly was fluttering quite closely towards her face. "You scared me."

"Not, intentionally as I'm sure you know." The Butterfly replied in its simple monotone. "We need to speak."

"Alright," Alice replied, and turned around, making sure no one would see if she slipped out for a moment or to from her own party.

After making sure the coast was clear, Alice walked towards the entrance of the ballroom, ducking out past the front doors and into the garden where twilight had just befallen after the sun went down. The butterfly followed along beside her effortlessly, and when he felt sure that no one would be able to hear and stopped along a stray branch of a hedge close to the gardens while Alice followed obediently.

"What do you need to speak to me about?" Alice asked, politely as also forcefully. It was cold out her in the garden, and her dress wasn't as warm as she would have liked.

"It's about the oraculm," Absoulm explained, and Alice nodded expectantly. "I fear something horrible is about to befall Underland."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"A day or so ago." The Butterfly started. "When I was sitting in my mushroom patch, a saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Thinking it could be another pesky rocking horse fly, I turned and instead I saw that the oraculm was moving. It was as if it was asking to be unraveled and I did so." He shook his small head bitterly. "The things I saw Alice, they weren't pleasant."

"What did you see?" Alice asked, clasping her hands to her chest and leaning in closer.

"I saw a battle." Absoulm said. "It was bloody and dark. It wasn't meant for Underland to be apart of, but none the less it was."

"When?" Alice asked, she was full of questions for the small insect but she could only find herself asking simple ones. "Absoulm, when will this battle take place?"

"That," The Butterfly mused. "Is undetermined. But, never the less that battle will take place in Underland, and you Alice will lead out troops once again, with the Vopal sword in hand."

"We're fighting Stayne, aren't we?" Alice knew the answer and answered it for herself. "He's going to come back and finish what he'd started and try to take back the crown."

Absoulm gave Alice a solemn nod. "Which is why you'll need the vopal sword."

"But, why?" Alice asked. "I thought it was only needed to defeat the Jabberwocky, why would I need it again?"

"Because," He replied, as if he were talking to a child. "You're going to need to do the same thing again, stupid girl."

"I'm not stupid." Alice told him, angrily. "And Stayne isn't the Jabberwocky."

"Not fully," Absoulm agreed. "But part of it lives among him, too."

Alice gasped. "How is that possible?"

Absoulm shook his head at Alice, and she knew he wasn't going to answer her, so she asked him something else. "What happened after you saw what you did?"

"For fear another might see what I've seen, I've hidden the oraculm." He explained. "And instead put a blink piece of parchment in it's place."

"Then, where is the real one?" Alice asked, but again Absoulm shook his head at her.

"That, I can't tell you. But," He gave her a slow and warm smile. "I can tell you it is in safe hands. And I don't thin k it would be terribly wise if you shared this information to anyone but yourself."

"I understand, thank you, Absoulm." Alice said, and Absoulm nodded. Alice turned to go, but turned back after a second and leaned back down to the Butterfly. "Absoulm, why did you tell me this?"

"Because," Absoulm replied. "You may not be here for me to tell you later." And then he flew away, and after a second Alice couldn't tell him from apart form the dark.

. . .

"Well, there you are." Irisa called, sliding up next to Alice as she walked back inside form the garden. "Where have you been?"

"I went out to get some air," Alice said, ad it was honest, even though she didn't tell Irisa every detail.

"Sure, you did." Irisa said, completely unconvinced. "Anyway, Nicholas has been bugging for me to find you, because everyone's been dancing and he hasn't."

Everyone dancing wasn't absolutely true, though most of the guests were spinning on the dance floor. Some like the Tweedles, who were sneaking delicious looking pastries and sweets into their pockets, where standing along the edges of the floor.

"Where is he?" Alice asked, turning around to ask Irisa who had disappeared into the dance floor, spinning around with Hatter's arm around her waist. "That's helpful…"

"Isn't it though?" A voice asked, and Alice turned, seeing Nicholas grinning from ear to ear beside her. "Do I want to know where you've been hiding?"

"No," Alice answered, honestly. "No, you don't."

"Good," Nicholas grinned and took Alice's hand, pulling her towards the dance floor. "Because now I have someone who I can actually have a good conversation with that doesn't have fur or a pair of wings."

"And animals aren't the best to have conversations with?" Alice asked, as Nicholas grasped her hand and twirled her around in the crowd of dancers.

"Not unless they're all like Mally, who just wanted to find people to stick with her," He grinned. "Sword, Chess who disappears before we can even say a sentence to each other or the March hare who I'm sure thinks that this is the best tea party he's ever been too."

"So sorry I left you to endure that torture all on your own," Alice joked, spinning around and sticking out her tongue as Nicholas brought her close. "I was talking to Absoulm."

"Oh really?" Nicholas asked, raising an eye brow. "And what did our favorite blue insect have to say?"

Alice shrugged, unsure if telling Nicholas would go against Absoulm' warning. She told Nicholas everything; In fact that's how they were here dancing in the white queen's ball room.

"Alice," Nicholas repeated, an Alice blinked, shaking her head and looking up at Nicholas. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Alice replied, as Nicholas lifted her up and twirled her in the air, giving her a good view of everything in the ballroom. "Do you want to get something to drink?"

"Sure," Nicholas replied, twirling her over to the outer ring of the floor, but still dancing with Alice. "Any requests?"

Alice shrugged. "How about-"

"Alice?" Someone called, but the call wasn't playful or teasing. It was scared and a maybe shocked.

Both Alice and Nicholas turned to face who ever had called her name and saw that standing in the threshold of the castle, wearing a tattered and dirty dress with scared blue eyes were Margret and Lowell.

**And dramatic stop! To any of you who thought that it could have been Margret and her husband, ha ha. I tricked you. Though, they're still in this chapter. Dun, dun, dun. My dramatic tendencies are close to Irisa's, but not completely there. So, are you excited yet? I am! Review, pretty please? **


	26. Two Wolrds Collide

**Chapter 26 be excited! Enjoy! And, I screwed up royally. This is the real chapter 26, so if you read the old chapter 26, it wasn't real. Sorry. **

"Alice?" Margret repeated, and Alice's mouth hung open as she watched her sisters through the passing by dancers. Nicholas too had stopped to stare at her sister, and then they were running. They pushed and ran through the many dancers, getting dirty looks and huffs as they did, and finally Alice landed in the familiar and read arms of her elder sister.

"Alice!" Margret cried, it was as if that was the only word she could say, and it didn't bother Alice that it was. She was much to excited to see her sister standing in front of her to care. "Thank god, we found you."

"I know," Alice replied, pulling back and smiling up at her sister whose eyes were wet with tears. "Margret, I'm so happy to see you."

"Me too," Margret told her. "But, Alice! What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked, quite confused. How did Margret find Underland? And more importantly how would she know Alice was there in the first place.

"Looking for you," Lowell explained, coming up form the side with Nicholas next to her. "What are you both doing in this mad house of a country?"

"Well…" Alice's voice trailed off, how was she supposed to explain everything off the top of her head? Right now?

Sensing her awkwardness, Nicholas turned to Margret and Lowell. "Look, why don't we go outside and talk, shall we?" the married couple nodded and Margret released Alice, walking out the doors and as Alice flowed, Nicholas pulled her back. "I'll go find, Mirana."

"Thank you," Alice whispered and she turned, following her sister out into the gardens.

Night had fallen over Underland, the sky dark and dotted with stars brighter then Alice had seen. Irisa had picked the perfect night to have a party, even if it had been interrupted for Alice with news of an unbelievably bleak and bloody battle that she didn't even know when was coming and the fact that her sister had come to Underland and now she had to explain why Alice herself was already here.

She found them in the same place she once sat, were the realization that her Wonderland actually existed as did all her friends here. The waterfall's dark water churned lighter against the black sky, star's reflections blinking and spinning off the water's surface and it looked absolutely breath taking.

Margret and Lowell were facing the scene, and from behind Alice finally got a good look at them. Their clothes were dirt and torn, they must have gone through a tough journey to get here, and Lowell's arm was around Margret's waist protectively. It was hard to believe nearly two years ago he'd been kissing one of his close friends behind her sister's back.

When Alice walked next to them and leaned onto the railing, she realized, she wasn't rather nervous. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She belonged to this world, just like her sister belonged to the real one, what was so hard to understand?

"So," Alice said awkwardly, refusing to meet the eyes of her audience. "Where would you like me to begin?"

"How about why you're here?" Lowell asked, and Alice was surprised to see that her sister was staring down at her hands.

"Well," Alice took a deep breath, and told her sister the story of how she fell down the rabbit hole as a grown woman. From the point when she fell down the rabbit hole the first time, to meeting all the mad friends here, and to slaying the jabberwocky.

Of course she took out some of the more personal details, consisting of the tense filled moments between herself and the Hatter and about Iracebeth's mad fits but otherwise she explained everything to when she crawled back out of the hole and back to the party.

"That's where I had gone when I wasn't at the party." Alice finished.

"That's impossible." Lowell scoffed. "You weren't gone for more then an hour. Everything you're just told us couldn't have happened in that short time."

"Time works funny here," Alice mused. "But I swear everything I've told you is true."

"That's impossible." Lowell stated, quite firmly.

"That," A melodious voice said from behind. "Is precisely, Underland."

Like a beam of hope the white queen floated toward the group of above landers. She looked unbelievably striking against the mostly dark background, and her lips and eyes were soft yet firm as a queen must be, and now they were begging for acknowledgement, yet commanding faith.

Lowell and Margret's eyes widened as the queen stopped next to  
>Alice with a smile and Alice gave the queen a small smile back.<p>

"Your highness," Alice said formally, her tone helping to explain who this woman was to her sister and brother in law. "This is my sister Margret and her husband Lowell. Margret, Lowell, This is Mirana the queen of Underland."

"Please to make your acquaintance." Mirana said warmly with a gentle nod while Margret and Lowell stared. "It's good to minuet the family of our champion."

"You're…champion?" Margret whispered and both Alice and Mirana nodded.

Margret stood, and suddenly ran, like Alice had the day that she was told only her hand with the vopal sword could free Wonderland, but this time Alice wouldn't let the Kingsley girl cry away alone, this time she chased after her sister.

. . .

"Margret!" Alice cried, and stopped a few feet from where her sister was leaning against one of the castle walls. "Margret, what are you doing?"

Her sister had her arms around herself, staring down through the dark, her darker blonde curls falling around her face.

"Margret," alive whispered, coming close. Her sister looked up, and Alice saw that she was crying. "Margret, why?"

"Alice," Margret sobbed, her lowering her head again. "I'm so sorry"

Alice blinked. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Alice." Margret cried, looking up and wiping tears from her eyes. "Don't you see, Alice? This is my entire fault."

"What's your fault?" Alice asked, softly.

"All of this." Margret whispered then her voice grew larger. "Mother's in a coma, and that's why I came to find you. But I never thought you would be _here!_"

"Mother's in a coma?" Alice repeated but Margret kept speaking.

"You're here because of me, because I was so stupid and didn't watch you that day." Margret said, mostly to herself.

After a long pause, Alice ran up to her sister and grabbed her arms, forcing Margret to look into her eyes finally whispered. "What are you saying, Margret?"

"I'm saying I should have been watching you." Margret yelled. "I should have been watching you but I didn't! I kept reading my stupid book, and you fell down this hole because I told you the story wasn't real!"

**Confused, you should be. What story is Margret talking about and why does this make it her fault? All will be revealed soon. Please review! **


	27. The Almost Story

**Chapter 27, again this is going by very fast. :( Oh well, enjoy s always! And again, if you've already read this chapter, go back to chapter 26 because this was really meant to be 27, but I did edit it a bit so I would re read. :)**

Alice blinked, and let go of her sister, taking a sudden step back as if Margret would lash out and hit Alice.

"You don't remember, do you?" Margret asked bitterly. "Though I wouldn't expect you to. You were only six when Aunt Imogene tried to tell us the story at the Ascot's estate."

And that was all it took, the fuzzy memory of Alice's finally clicked into place, like the time that Alice had been pacing and realized that her dreams were really memories, but this wasn't about the beautiful and dangerous Underland, but London. Just a few short hours before she'd chased the rabbit down the hole, to when she was just curious and young Alice Kingsley.

_They were sitting in the backyard of Hamish Ascots home. While the adults spoke inside the large estate, Alice, Margret, who was eight years old, and Hamish, whom was seven and a half and had to make that pointedly clear and was very vulgar for a seven year old. _

_Aunt Imogene was watching the three children, sitting on a stiff looking chair when she called them towards her. _

"_Would any of you like to hear a story?" She asked, very sweetly. _

"_What kind of story?" Alice had asked eagerly. _

"_A special story." Her aunt explained. "A story about a place much different from here." _

"_And what happens in this place?" Margret asked._

"_Anything you want," Said the woman. "It's the most wonderful of all places and it's where all of your dreams come true. And this is a very true story, too." _

_She told the children about this magical place, where plants talked and sang and everything was colorful and bright. Animals spoke and had the loveliest conversations and mermaids sang and swam along the dark waves. But when she was about to get to the actual story, Hamish, standing with arms crossed and a rather unhappy expression¸ interrupted. _

"_You're a fool." He interrupted, face red. "And a liar." _

"_Hamish,"" Margret snapped. _

"_Oh," Aunt Imogene asked, unamused. This was before she had gone unbelievably mad and delusions aboiut her prince began to form. But she was still a bit batty even now, but it wasn't as bad as it would get in the future. "Why?"_

"_Because there is no such place as you say." He said a matter of factly. "And if you say that there is that makes you a liar." _

"_So, you don't believe in such a place, then?" Their aunt asked and Alice could swear that she heard something in her aunt's voice waver slightly. "Not in the slightest?" _

"_Of course not." Hamish had snapped. "Only a mad person would believe in such lies." _

"_And why not?" Aunt Imogene inquired. "Who's to say that animals don't talk, or flowers don't sing?" _

"_I've never seen an animal speak," Said the repugnant seven year old. "And I've never hear d a flower sing." _

"_Perhaps," Aunt Imogene pointed out. "You've just never paid enough attention."_

"_Perhaps," Hamish sneered. "You're just a mad old women, with a head full of nonsense and lies."_

_They had been asked to leave soon after that, to go play farther out in the field because Aunt Imogene had begun to cry, and then as more adults came to speak to her she began to scream. It was a sight to behold to six year old Alice, to see a grownup woman having a temper tantrum that Alice hadn't had since she was five, since such an action was only for babies, but her Aunt was. _

"_Your aunt's mad." Hamish told them as Margret led the two younger children out towards the back of the yard. "And her story was anything but true." _

"_It _was _true." Alice shot back. "You just don't believe it is." _

"_And you do?" Hamish asked sarcastically. When Alice nodded, he just laughed. "Then you're just as mad as she is." _

"_Honestly, Hamish," Margret hissed, and grabbed her sister's shoulder, pulling her away from the beastly boy. She had never enjoyed him much at all, and she would certainly never let him torment her sister nor her aunt. "Stop it right now or I'll tell your mother about how you were the one to ruin her red roses instead of the rabbit you told her." _

_Hamish had paled, for he was surly afraid of his mother and with one last glance at the Kinsley sisters ran off towards the house, leaving the two girls alone. _

"_Come on, Alice." Margret said, releasing her sister's shoulder and holding onto her ivory hand. "Let's go read." _

"_Is what Hamish said true?" Alice asked, persistently, as Margret pushed away some brushes and stopped at a medium sized cherry blossom tree. "Is Aunt Imogene really mad?" _

"_Hamish is the liar." Margret said bitterly, opening the book which was covered in facts for it was a book she'd got form school. _

"_You think it's real, don't you?" Alice asked reproachfully._

"_I think that maybe she did really think it up." Margret said as she flipped through a page in her book. "But those things don't really exist." _

"_Yes they do." Alice counted, crossing her arms over her chest "You just have to believe." _

"_Alice," Margret said, quite wearily. "I don't really think-"_

"_And when we get there," Alice said excitedly. "We can hear the rest of Auntie Imogene's story. And we'll talk to all the animals and the trees and listen to the mermaids sing." _

_Margret sighed. "Alice," _

"_And when we get back, we'll tell Mommy and Daddy and Aunt Imogene everything we've seen and they'll want to come too." _

"_Alice," Margret said more purposely. _

"_And Hamish will be sorry." Alice said with more enthusiasm. "He'll be so sorry that he was so mean, and he'll want to come too but we won't let him." _

"_Alice!" Margret interrupted. "No, no we won't." _

_Alice's face fell. "But…" _

"_No, Alice." Margret said, sternly. "No, we won't. Because it doesn't exist." _

"_But," Alice tried to respond but her voice trailed off, her wide eyes shining. _

"_No," Margret continued. "It was just a story, Alice. That's it. There are no mermaids, no talking animals or anything it's just a story, alright?"_

_Alice shut her eyes, shaking her head back and forth quickly, her blonde curls flying in every direction. "You just don't believe, just like Hamish."_

"_I don't believe it, Alice because it isn't true." Margret pointed out. _

"_Well, I believe it's true." Alice said quietly._

_Margret sighed, and turned back down to her book, ignoring her sister who was sitting next to her and pouting by reading out loud to fill the silence. And she never even noticed when her sister was gone. _

**Hmmm, could Aunt Imogene not be really mad, well we'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out. So, how have you guys been, I am seriously bad at trying to keep continuously with these chapters and I'm sorry. Wish me luck too do so, and please review, because the previous ones have been amazing! **


	28. Needs and Desires

**Short, I know and I'm sorry. A lot of things are happening, I have absolutely no idea how to continue this and I'm just kind of buying time, sorry. Plus my wrist is messed up and I cannot write with it that well. Sorry, but enough about me! Chapter 28 coming at you, Enjoy!**

"Aunt Imogene," Alice whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. "How?"

"I don't know, Alice." Margret admitted. "She'd hadn't even started the story when Hamish interrupted, and I doubt she'll remember now, even if she could tell us."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

Margret let her head hang low; she had to tell her sister a lot of bad things tonight. "She's not well. Not like you or I or mother, she's perfectly mad, so we had to take certain…precautions."

"Margret," Alice said testing, biting of her anger. "What did you do?"

"We sent away," Her sister said in a small voice. "To, a ward."

. . .

Alice sat at the front castle steps with her head in her hands.

To much had happened tonight, and no one would be in a partying mood after what Alice would have to tell them. Not only was a battle going to commence in Underland without Alice actually knowing when, but her mother was in a coma, and the only possible way like Margret had explained of waking her was if Alice came back to London and did it herself.

And what of Aunt Imogene, what if her story was true and she had been to Underland? It was uncommon for people to find this place the white queen had once explained, but it would make more sense of how Alice had managed to find it. 

But still, so many questions were left unanswered for Alice. How had Aunt Imogene gotten here? How long had she stayed? what had she seen? Would Alice go mad in the real world like she had?

The doors to the front palace opened, and Alice turned around, ready to tell whoever it was to leave her alone, but Irisa walked out, still wearing the clothes form her party and sat down next to Alice.

"I knew I'd find you out here," She said in a quiet voice.

"How would you?" Alice asked.

"You needed an escape, and the first place everyone would look would be the garden or your room, and none would think you would leave the castle grounds after the first time so they wouldn't need to check the front." Irisa stated. "So, I knew I'd find you here."

"Well you're too smart for your own good." Alice told her, and leaned back, lying against the cool marble floor. "I'm sorry about your party."

"It's alright," Irisa replied, and mimicked Alice's action, staring up at the stars. "It's still going on, you know. But most of our friends stopped to look for you."

"Won't they realize that you're missing too?" Alice asked.

Irisa smiled, slyly. "They probably believe I'm still dancing the night away."

Alice grinned at that, and stared back up at the stars. Neither girl spoke for a few moments, but ten Irisa broke the silence. "What's a ward?"

Alice blinked, and then sighed. "A stupid place where they trap people who they think have lost their minds and will never get better."

Irisa nodded, and turned to Alice and said in a small voice. "Is your aunt like that?"

Alice shook her head, but stopped. "I don't know." She admitted, and sat back up, while turning to Irisa with a sad expression. "You heard me and my sister didn't you?"

Irisa nodded solemnly, turning back onto her back and staring up. "I never really had a sister growing up but I wished I did. It always seemed like of sweet, fighting with someone over the stupidest things but still they would always be there when you needed them." She turned back to Alice. "And it seems like now she really needs you, Alice."

Alice shook her head. "But,"

"I know you want to stay, Alice." Irisa interrupted, making Alice wonder how many times she could be interrupted in one night. "But, what we want and what we need aren't always the same. I really wanted to stay that day in the clearing, but I needed to leave and get something for my father. And if I hadn't, I would be dead." At Alice's scared expression, she gave her a wistful grin. "I know it isn't the best example, but what can I say? The things we want aren't always fulfilled, but the things we need to do are almost always for the better in the future. Even if we never want to do them."

Alice stared at her friend, her eyes wide but knew her words were true. She needed to find Stayne, she needed to help her mother and she needed to find answers. But what she wanted was to stay here, stay with The Hatter and Mirana and Irisa and everyone else, but she had to go. "I have to help her, don't I?"

Irisa nodded. "Like I said, we don't always want to do them, but we have to."

Alice nodded in agreement, and looked back up at the sky, absolutely lost in her own mind.

"You want to go inside?" Irisa asked.

"No," Alice shook her head, and laid back down. "Let's stay out here."

"We'll be missing the party," Irisa pointed pout, but made no action to leave.

"Mmhmm." Alice replied, still staring up at the sky.

"Nicholas will be wondering where you are," Irisa told her.

"Mmhmm." Alice repeated, absentmindedly.

"And," Irisa said, sitting up and smiling. "You missed me when I jumped onto one of the tables and ripped off all my clothes and started singing at the top of my lungs while everybody stared and started to sing along."

"Mmm-" Alice stopped and sat up, staring at Irisa. "What did you say?"

Irisa started laughing, wrapping her arms around herself and falling back with a grin. "God, I thought you would never say any real words."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Thanks, you just scarred me for the rest of my life in order for me to pay attention."

Irisa nodded, and said, "It was worth it," then she stared back up at the night sky, when someone appeared next to her, with eyes as bright as the stars above.

"Chess," Irisa said without looked next to her. "So you've finally found us."

"Yes, you're both excellent at hiding but that doesn't matter now." The Cat said quickly, turning towards Alice as well. "You both need to get up to Iracebeth's room immediately."

"Why?" Alice asked. "What happened?"

"There's no time to explain, both of you need to get up there right now." He told them. "Now go."

They went.

**Chapter over, don't hate me cause it's short nor hate me because of the cliff hanger. I'm seriously inspiration-ed out. Sorry, give me time and caffeine and  
>I can fix this issue. Love you all, and please review!<strong>


	29. We All Fall Down

**Chapter 29, and it's time again for one of Iracebeth's crazy tantrums. I do love these, and I hope you do too. So, on with the show, blah, blah, blah. Read and enjoy. :) **

The moment Alice opened the door to the room Chess had told them to go to, she knew something was wrong. It wasn't just the different room that they'd found following the Chessur cat's instructions, but it was as if a presence had just made itself known for Alice, and by the way Irisa's eyes widened, her friend had felt it too.

She pushed the door open further, and Nicholas' familiar voice called out to her. "Look out!"

Alice ducked, and a million porcelain pieces of a vase showered her and Irisa.

"Alice," Nicholas breathed, loudly. "Irisa, both of you get out of here."

Alice blinked; standing near the furthest wall was Iracebeth with Nicholas held in front of her, a thick silver blade pressed against his neck. He was still wearing his party clothes, though the sleeve of his jacket was torn and his hair was wild as if he'd been running. He was staring at the two girls pleadingly, begging for them to leave as if Iracebeth would suddenly throw him to the floor and charge at them. Perhaps she would.

Around Iracebeth were things you might find in no room in particular, bookshelves, a bed, a deep white carpet near the window separating the marble floor and long white curtains drawn to keep out the night's presence.

"Nicholas!" Alice and Irisa cried in unison but Nicholas shook his head faintly as they started to stand. Alice ignored his warning and stood, while Irisa still knelt on the ground petrified with fear for her own life, Nicholas' and, Alice's while Alice started to speak. "Iracebeth, what are you doing?"

"Alice, my dear." Iracebeth cried out, and grinned wildly at the two girls. Her hair was messy, and she had dark half moons under her eyes, her pale skin looked tight and she was thinner then the last time Alice had seen her. "And Irisa too. My, my you're both right on time!"

"In time for what?" Irisa asked quietly.

"Why the party of course," Iracebeth's smile widened, and she turned her head towards her captive guest, Nicholas. "Nicholas doesn't want to come to our party, so we won't let him." The mad women winked. "It'll be a girl's only party."

Iracebeth released Nicholas, sending him falling onto the floor, and before he could even move, Iracebeth had thrown a large leather bound book fro m behind her, curious as Alice hadn't even seen her move, and allowed it to bounce of his head with a deafening smack.

"Nicholas!" Alice screamed, but she knew he couldn't hear her. He was unconscious and on the floor, and right now the red queen was skipping towards her like a child.

Alice flinched back at the last moment, and heard a sharp intake of breath from Irisa, but the women was already upon her, throwing her arms around Alice and crushing Alice to her chest.

"You're a tad late, but that's alright." Iracebeth told them, pulling back and leaning down to grab Irisa by the arm and jerk her upward to stand next to Alice. "You're both here and that's all that matters." She dropped the Hightopp girl's arm and ran to the door, shutting it tightly behind them and locking it, so now the mad queen, the madder female hatter, the champion and the unconscious boy were trapped inside.

"Come now," Iracebeth chided, walking away from the door and towards a small table with only three chairs. "Let's not waste anymore time," She grabbed a hand from each of the girls and pulled them towards the table, and neither girl protested.

Iracebeth sat down on one side of the circular table and Alice and Irisa sat on another end, shrinking towards each other for support.

"Would you like some tea?" Iracebeth asked, and handed them each nothing. "Come now, don't be shy. This is a fun party, a very fun party indeed."

Irisa nodded, but Alice kept her face impassive and serious.

"You know," Iracebeth continued. "I'm sure you're both wondering why I've invited you to my party, and it's a good reason too." She grinned wildly. "He said I could have one."

"Who?" Irisa asked, still very quietly.

Iracebeth grinned and stuck a hand under Irisa's chin, forcing her to look up into the woman's piercing blue eyes. "Silly girl. Stupid silly girl. Sad stupid silly girl."

Irisa narrowed her eyes at Iracebeth, and was about to say something or even hit her, but Alice interrupted. "Why are we here, Iracebeth?"

She turned to face Alice, still holding Irisa's chin and cocked her head to the side. "You don't understand?"

"No, I don't." Alice admitted, trying to be as serious as possible while still maintaining her calm. "Tell me."

Iracebeth released Irisa's chin and Irisa pulled back, putting her hand where Iracebeth's was a few moments ago as Iracebeth spoke. "You're not playing the game."

Alice's eyes widened. "The game?"

Iracebeth laughed, hysterical laughing and threw her head back, letting the noise fill the entire room, till every square inch was filled by laughter and bowed her head, her red hair cascading around her shoulders and hiding her face. "You don't even know you're playing. Are you a sad stupid silly girl?"

"No, I'm not." Alice replied. "And neither is Irisa, but you need to explain what the game is"

"He taught me a song," Iracebeth said, pushing her hair away from her face and smiling at Alice. "From your world, want me to sing it for you?" Without answering she started to sing. "_Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posy, ashes, ashes, we all fall down_."

Alice remembered the song; it was something Margret had taught her when she as five, and then a bunch of her friends played it for hours. It was funny how such an innocent song was actually about the plague.

"He likes that song best," She said a matter of factly. "That's why he taught me it," She started giggling again and singing at the top of her lungs. _"Ring around the rosy."_

"Alice," Irisa said, uneasily.

"_A pocket full of posy!" _She continued.

"What's she doing?" Irisa asked, as Iracebeth stood.

"_Ashes, ashes!" _Iracebeth screamed, running towards the curtains of her new room, skipping over Nicholas still body. "Ashes, ashes!" She repeated, still screaming on the top of her lungs.

Alice and Irisa watched in horror as she grabbed a flicking candle from a lamp near the curtain in the safety of the glass lamp. She stared at the flame, trapped beneath its clear fortress and stopped singing and laughing all together.

"Iracebeth?" Alice asked. "Are you-"

"Ashes, ashes," She said calmly, still staring down at the flame, and then looked up at he girls. "We all fall down."

She grinned, and dropped the lamp. There was a loud crash, and then the curtain started to burn.

**Oooooooh, fire. The pyromaniac in me is intrigued, but the author I n me is worried that my story will burn up. Oh well, let's see where this goes! Please review, because I love it when you do. (Rhyme, oh yeah!) **


	30. A Leap Of Faith

**Chapter 30, aww. Again look how fast this fan fiction is going. Oh well, please read and enjoy. Amnd btw, im not dead, im stil lhere i won't forgret you guys ever, so please don't forget me. **

"Iracebeth, no!" Alice screamed, but the flames were already spreading to the other walls of the room. Books on the shelves turned to ash as they spread to the bookshelf itself and even the carpet started to burn.

For a minutes, no one moved, the only sound from the crackling flames of the fire then Iracebeth started to laugh once more.

"Alice!" Irisa screamed. "Look out!"

Alice looked above and jumped out of the way just in time for a flaming piece of wood to land in the spot where she'd just stood, cutting a wall of flames between Iracebeth, and the rest of the party.

Alice landed hard on the floor, her head banging against the table and sending it to the floor. Dark spots danced in front of her vision as Irisa calling out to her, and after her head stopped swimming Alice could make out words.

"The door isn't opening!" Irisa screamed and then her worried rainbow eyes were staring into Alice's only inches away. "What are we going to do?"

Alice blinked and sat up, her head throbbing with pain as she looked over to Iracebeth who was still laughing uncontrollably, oblivious to the surrounding flames. She looked around, everything was red with the flame and it was getting hard to breath, and finally she saw threw the flames a glimpse of the dark night.

"The windows," Alice whispered then said louder. "The windows, Irisa try the windows. Maybe there's a balcony we can get too."

Irisa nodded and stood, running towards the window and disappearing among the flames. Ten very long seconds later she returned, her dress slightly charred and her eyes wide with fright.

"There's no balcony." She said miserably through a few coughs. "And Iracebeth is freaking me pout. She still laughing and screaming about someone leaving her." Irisa shrugged, and then asked desperately. "What are we going to do?"

Alice shook her head. "Is there anything else outside the window? Anything at all?"

"Well," Irisa said, biting the side of her lip. "There is the fountain, but I don't think…"

"How deep is he fountain?" Alice asked, suddenly.

"Absolute six feet I guess…" Irisa said, and then her eyes lit up. "Alice, you don't think we could jump into the fountain, do you?"

"I do," Alice stated, and then looked over at Nicholas who was still on the floor, very close to the flames. "Oh, no. Nicholas!"

Irisa looked over and gasped, running towards him and grabbing him by the arms, dragging him to where the flames were ma bit thinner by Alice. "Okay, we have to go now, if were going to go. But, what about Iracebeth?"

Alice looked over at Iracebeth who was sitting on the bed, flames all around her but never touching as if she were a queen of the fire. She shook her head, and turned back to Irisa. "You two go; I'll get her down there."

"But, what about you?" Irisa asked. "We're not leaving without you, Alice."

"Yes you are!" Alice yelled, as the flames grew bigger. She stood and picked up Nicholas, half dragging him towards the window's while Irisa followed, grabbing his legs to help her. "Now go!"

Irisa stared at her friend for a few moments then nodded, taking Nicholas by the armpits and dragging him through the wall of fire to the other side of the room. A few minutes went byu and Alice heard glass shatter then a scream as Irisa must have jumped with Nicholas down into the fountain, now she had to follow with Iracebeth.

"Iracebeth!" Alice screamed running through the small room that was filling with more smoke by the minute. "Iracebeth, where are you?"

"Sad stupid silly girl," Alice heard the words from what seemed like very far away, but as she rushed her way back towards the bed she saw Iracebeth was still laughing.

"Iracebeth!" Alice breathed, and kept running to the bed. "We have to go, right now."

Iracebeth cocked her head to the side and glanced at Alice. "You look just like her, you know."

"Come on, we have to go." Alice commanded, they had no time for more of Iracebeth's nonsense.

"Did you know her?" the red head asked. "She wasn't very nice, but you are."

"We have to go!" Alice demanded, grabbing Iracebeth's arm and trying to pull her to her feet. "Come on, we need to go."

"She was a thief, too." Iracebeth yelled, resisting Alice's feeble pleads. "A dirty thief and I never liked her one bit."

"Come on!" Alice yelled pulling Iracebeth hard and finally the woman got off the bed, leaning heavily against Alice. "This way,"

"Where are we going?" Iracebeth inquired, but Lice ignored her, dodging the falling embers and various debris that was starting to come down on them.

"Alice!" Iracebeth screamed, and Alice looked up as something big and hot come towards them, moving instinctively, she jumped to the side, and ended up landing on something sharp.

In fact she'd fallen on thousands of sharp things. Alice looked down, and saw that she and Iracebeth had landed on a floor covered in glass pieces, red had already started to swell in their wounds and Alice looked over at Iracebeth who was still shaking with laughter and looked up at Alice.

Alice stood on unsteady legs and looked down at the gapping hole in the window. They were no the forth floor of the castle and the fall looked even higher then Alice expected. The fountain wasn't directly below them, but if they threw themselves a little farther they would be alright.

She turned to Iracebeth and picked her up by the arms, then armpits and stood hr up. The woman looked dazed, and Alice took a few steps back and tossed her below, hoping that Irisa would be there ready to catch her. Iracebeth hit the water with a splash and a few seconds later a tiny black figure swam into the water, grabbing Iracebeth and pulling her to the edge.

Something fell behind her, and when Alice looked back she saw tha5t the whole room was just smudges of colors, black and red. Alice covered her mouth and shut her eyes.

_On three, _she thought.

_One, _she opened her eyes.

_Two, _she took a few steps back.

_Three, _she threw herself out the window_. _

**Now wasn't this a fun night. Dancing, heart breaking reunions and resolutions, and to top it all off a fire and throwing yourself off the forth floor of the castle. What a fun night, review please! **


	31. Somethings Never Change

**Chapter 31, and since I haven't posted in awhile I'm posting this right now! I wrote, really fast so I'm hoping you like it even though it's a bit pointless. Idk though, you be the judge. Love you guys, enjoy. **

The cold water from the fountain hit Alice like a shock. Her lungs tightened around her and her limbs felt numb, and her head throbbed painfully. A burning sensation rose up to her throat, demanding oxygen but she just floated, and became more and more tired..

Alice blinked, her blonde curls swirling around her face and clouding her vision, but Alice looked up and saw the flickering light above the surface. She tried to tuck her legs under and punch herself up, but unsuccessfully stayed down, sinking down towards the bottom of the fountain.

Something passed near her, but her barley registered it. She was just happy floating here, it was nice. Maybe she should just sleep here, under the water where nothing bothered her, where there was no fire, no secrets and no complications of love.

It passed by her again, closer this time and something brushed through her wild tangle of hair, and then pulled at it. It hurt, but Alice just felt a gentle tug, everything was so much softer here. Then the thing grabbed, her neck, and down to her shoulder and arm, and Alice was being pulled. She tried feebly to struggle but after a few moments she just let it happen, and finally she broke through the surface of the pool and oxygen flooded into her tight lungs.

The air hurt at first, rolling painfully down her throat and into her stinging lungs, a dull buzz ringing in her ears. But after a few seconds the air was actually good, and her head became clearer. And then she realized the buzz, was words.

"I saw you jump and after a few seconds you didn't resurface. I didn't know what happened so I started searching the water but it wasn't easy. You sank fast and I can barley see anything," The voice was strained and obviously frightened, high pitched and urgent as they whispered to Alice. "I thought I was too late, and I was scared." She pulled Alice close and hugged her tight. "Don't you ever do that to me again, promise/"

Alice let the stranger hug her, and finally, she blinked her eyes and whispered incoherently. "Margret?"

. . .

"I'm so glad you're alright, Alice." Irisa told her, braiding her semi dry hair while sitting on Alice's bed, with her legs crossed. "And I'm so sorry I left you."

"It's alright," Alice instated, brushing her still wet blonde curls, and pulling her blue robe closer to her body. "Iracebeth was unconscious, what could you have done?"

"I could have waited until I saw you were alright," Irisa complained, turning her head towards Margret with a look filled with gratitude. "If you hadn't been there, I don't know what could have happened."

"Neither do I," Margret admitted, staring down at her hands. Her own wet hair was falling down over her shoulders, stopping at her shoulder blades, straight and flat. She was wearing once of Irisa's more modest dresses, a green gown with a silver ribbon tied around the waist and at the neck line.

After the two Kingsley sisters had gotten out of the fountain, Irisa had found them and brought them up to Alice's room and shut the door. She explained that she told anyone who she saw about the fire and gave Iracebeth to the arms of the nearest servant boy, and said that they should dry off before they went to see the white queen.

Irisa shook her head. She was wearing a long black gown that stopped at her ankles, it was held only by two small straps and all around it was the winding body of a dragon with many vivid colors. She was wearing a flowing cloak, tied at the front with a few draw strings and with flowing arms. She pulled her dress back, revealing black velvet slip-ons with bright red dragons on them. "I hope they stopped the fire."

"Me too," Alice agreed. When they walked toward the castle they could already see the fire dimming down, hopefully it wouldn't spread to the rest of the castle. "Do you think the parties over?"

"The party?" Irisa rolled her yes. "Alice, you nearly died, you had to jump out of a four story building that was on fire, and nearly drowned and you're worried about the party?"

"Some things never do change, do they?" Margret wondered, cocking her head softly to the side as she gazed at her sister with a fondness Alice had remembered so well. "You're history with leaving fashionably early at your own parties hasn't ended and you still care about everyone else before yourself."

Alice grinned and put down the silver handled brush on the bed and fell down against her bed, spreading her arms out wide and staring up at the ceiling, painted black with glimmering stars that twinkled like they were real. "Can I ever go to just one party where something inexplicably unplanned and strange happens?"

The girls giggled softly and Margret laid down next to her sister, staring up at the ceiling. "Since when? Where is my absolutely mad and strange sister who enjoys the unplanned and weird?"

"Sore, damp and lying next to you." Alice muttered.

"I hear that jumping out of a four story window into a fountain can do that to you." Irisa said boldly, walking over to the other side of Alice and lying down next to her. "Not that I would know form experience of course."

The girls smiled and stared up at the ceiling while the previous events that had taken place not even an hour ago seemed like a far away memory, or at least that was what they wished hoped. And after a few minutes they lapped into an awkward silence, and Irisa finally sat up.

"We better go find, Mirana." Irisa pointed out, seriously. "Everybody's probably leaving now so she'll be looking for us."

The Kingsley girls nodded and sat up at the same time, with matching apprehensive expressions. The last time Margret had spoken to the queen was a comfortable experience but utterly awkward. And Alice wasn't looking forward to what she had to say to the queen.

Alice took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go."

**Again, kind of pointless? But still action. Time to speak with the queen, what will happen we don't know. Wish me luck! And please review. **


	32. A Horrible Situation

**Guess whose back? Me! And guess who is also going to try to end this fan fiction before the end of this weekend? Me again!" please enjoy! **

"Okay," Alice said, stopping in front of a huge white door, and crossing her arms. "We've been past this door three times already."

"Well it's not our fault." Margret said bitterly, walking up next to Alice. "Haven't you been living in this castle longer then all of us?"

Alice sighed, she didn't want to be fighting with her sister, she just wanted to find Mirana and get all this over and done with. Even though it was much, much more complicated then that. And now they were going to have to go through it all, step by step.

"Maybe we should go in, anyway?" Irisa suggested, stepping along the other side of Alice with a soft smile. Who knew that mad, wild and strange Irisa was being the peace keeper between the two sisters who were still walking around egg shells considering the awkward state they were in? It wasn't like she could just ask someone how she was supposed to talk to her sister after appearing down into a world that she'd thought was only in her dreams until two years ago and having to decide between going back up to somewhere she was never very welcome and where someone who wants to kill her is to help her mother who never truly excepted who she truly was. "It couldn't hurt."

"No, it couldn't." Alice agreed, and pushed the large white door open and nearly tripped over the white thing that barreled out.

. . .

The door had only been open a crack when the rabbit, McTwisp rushed out, and made Alice loose her balance. The rabbit scurried off for the nearest exit but quicker then humanly possible, Irisa had dove down and got the writhing creature. Kit's snowy white fur made the black and other vivid colors seem even brighter as she grabbed it in her arms and Margret helped her sister up.

"What was that?" Margret asked, as she held out her and for her sister to take.

"McTwisp," Irisa and Alice said in unison and then Alice said by her self as she stood. "Or, what's left of him. Someone did something to him, well…" She let her eyes go upward and Margret got the jest. "And he hasn't been himself. He doesn't talk; he doesn't twitch or blow his trumpet like he used to….he's just…"

"Ordinary," Irisa chirped in.

"Wow," Margret breathed. "That's, extraordinary."

Irisa gave her a surprised look and Margret shook her head and took a closer step towards the rabbit in question. "Not that he's being like that, but he looks so familiar." She leaned down and stayed at the rabbit eyes then something sparked in her own, almost like recognition. "Alice," She said turning back to her sister. "Do you remember Mr. Burgundy's daughter?"

"Of course," Alice replied, oddly. "Cecily. She lives right down the street from you with her brother and-" She cut of and her own eyes widened. "Oh,"

"What?" Irisa asked, looking between the two quickly. "What is it?"

"My neighbor's have a daughter named Cecily, she's only about ten and she lives a few houses away from me and Lowell." Margret told her, stroking the rabbit's pale ears. "And a bout a week or two ago we heard that Cecily's pet rabbit had escaped from its cage."

"Well, what does that have to do with anything?" Irisa asked, skeptically.

"Irisa," Alice told her, walking next to her. "This isn't McTwisp, its Cecily's rabbit."

Now, Irisa got it. Her face lit up and she looked down at the white rabbit in her arms, moving less and less as it calmed down. "Are you sure? I mean, how do you know  
>Cecily's rabbit couldn't just be lost?"<p>

"Here," Margret said, pointing at the end of the rabbit's ear where there was a faint red line streaking down. "When Cecily first moved in, her rabbit escaped and ran down and it caught by a wire fence. Lowell had to go cut it out because its ear was caught." She smiled. "I only know of one rabbit with that scar, does McTwisp have one?"

Alice shook her head, a true smile on her lips. "Not that I've seen, Irisa?"

Irisa shook her head too. "Nope, McTwisp is too careful."

"Then it has to be him," Margret said in delight.

"We need to tell the queen right away!" Irisa said, and Alice rolled her eyes. It seemed like this was going to be a very long conversation with the queen.

"If only we could find her," Alice pointed out, and something moved out of the peripheral vision of her eye sight. Alice turned, expecting it to be a servant that she could ask, but instead she saw nothing, but heard the small footfalls of something running down the hallway, and then she looked down.

"Well there you are," Mally said with an exasperated sigh, and Irisa and Margret turned down to look at her, Irisa wearily, Margret curious and confused. "Can't you ever stay place for more then one minute?" She looked up at McTwisp in Irisa's arms. "And what are you doing with McTwisp?" Then she looked over at Margret and her furry eyebrows rose. "And who is she?"

"She's my sister," Alice explained but Mallymkun was still staring at Margret suspiciously. "Mally, focus. Do you know where the white queen is?"

"'Course I do," Mally retorted, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world. "Why do you think I'm here? Mirana needs to talk to you about what happened in Iracebeth's room and about," Her eyes flashed to Margret. "Her."

Alice rolled her eyes as Margret fumed and Irisa tried not to laugh. She knew that between Mallymkun's sassy attitude and her sister's no nonsense proper one, things were sure to go of course so she decided to interject before anything could happen. "Can you show us where she is? We really need to talk to her."

Mally glared at Margret for another moment then nodded, pulling out her needle and running down the hallway and called over her shoulder to the girls. "Come on, then! We've got a meeting to go too!"

**So, we now know that this isn't really McTwisp, which means, gasp, that our favorite little white rabbit is still up in London! With Stayne! Bad, very bad. I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry I haven't posted in forever, I hope you guys haven't given up because I haven't. And I suggest you stick along for the ride. Review please so I know you're still there. **


	33. Whose To Blame?

**Chapter 33, and this is pretty long, because I didn't know where exactly to end it. Oh well, you guys deserve to do a little reading :P enjoy! **

"How can you have no idea where they are?" Lowell cried as the three girls, the rabbit that wasn't really who they thought and the sassy mouse pushed open the door open gingerly.

Through it they could see Lowell, pacing in front of the fireplace and starting to leave a worn path in it from how many times he's gone back and forth. A long, circular table dominated the rest of the room, and seating around it was everyone Alice knew, including a few people she didn't. She saw the Queen at the head, her chin in her hand as she gazed at the fire, brow furrowed in deep concentration, Nicholas a seat away form her, still wearing his purple jacket, hair tousled looking particularly discouraged, Hatter, a seat away from Mirana on her right, as Nicholas was on her left, the Tweedles, arguing again, the March hare, ,playing with a cup he must have taken from the party, Absoulm, Chess, and a few knights, all waiting for the three girls who'd hadn't been noticed.

"Honestly!" Lowell continued, running a hand through his hair in utter exasperation. "They could be dead for all we know, and we're just waiting here!"

"I hardly believe we could jump to that conclusion, Lowell." Mirana said, trying to soothe him without actually looking at him. "We know that they jumped out of the window and into the fountain so they're alive, but they're probably wandering the castle."

"Probably!" Lowell repeated, with anxiety. He honestly looked like he was about to loose his mind. "Who knows-"

"Actually," Irisa interrupted, leaning against the now shut door with the white rabbit in her hands while, Margret stood on her right, and Alice on her left, and Mally on the floor next to Alice. "I know where they are, but since you were so busy pacing, we didn't think you wanted to be interrupted."

Everyone breathe din a sigh of relief and everyone stood, running towards the girls. Lowell threw his arms around Margret and hugged her, kissing her cheeks and her forehead and any other place his lips could go while she murmured how glad she was to see him.

She heard Irisa squeal as the Hatter picked her up, even though she was still holding the rabbit, and twirl her around before planting a full kiss on the mouth. And then Alice felt warm arms embrace her.

"You scared me half to death!" Nicholas cried, ruffling her hair as she hugged him back. "I thought I told you to never jump out of buildings unless I'm there to catch you."

"The fountain was there to catch me," Alice retorted and Nicholas rolled his eyes and released her.

"We were all quite worried, though." Mirana told her, and embraced Alice in her arms for a moment before whispering in her ear. "I thought Nicholas was about to tear his hair out."

Alice grinned, and the queen took walked back to the head of the table, and Alice followed along with Nicholas. After a few more embraces and murmurings of how worried they were, with all anxiety finally settled the queen stood up and greeted started the meeting.

"Now that were all _finally _together," Mirana said with a soft smile. "I believe we have some business to attend too. While at the party tonight, our champion was reunited with her sister and her husband, from London. And then, after they spoke Alice was sent with Irisa up to a room where my sister, Iracebeth had taken refuge under extreme circumstances. For whatever reason, Iracebeth set fire to the entire room and do to their quick thinking, Irisa and Alice were able to save not only themselves but Iracebeth and Nicholas as well. But now," She looked along the room, meting everyone's ready gaze for a moment. "We obviously have to discuss what we plan to do next. Alice?"

As the queen sat, Alice took a deep breath and focused on everything that had happened tonight. It seemed like a life time ago she was getting ready for the party, but really only a few hours. And now she had to tell it all again.

She told them about her meeting with Absoulm, refusing to meet his wise gaze as she did and then to meeting her sister, though she left out the part about her aunt, and to running up to Iracebeth's room with Irisa. Then, she explained everything Iracebeth had said, and finally to jumping out into the fountain and being saved by her sister and even finding out that the white rabbit in Irisa's arms wasn't McTwisp. Once she finished, there was a long beat of silence, before finally Hatter spoke. "What do you think he's doing to her, then?"

Alice looked up form her hands, where she had eventually spent her entire speech staring at and met the Hatter's gaze. His eyes were yellow, and gold. Filled with confusion and on any other circumstances she would melt at his gaze, but this wasn't the time. "I believe his controlling her."

There were a few gasps from around the room and murmurs, but the queen silences them all. "What do you mean, Alice?"

Alice took another deep breath and stared back down at her hands. "When I ran away, I must have fallen asleep or something because I dreamt I was back at the party, my um….almost engagement party." She ignored the uneasy one from Nicholas and continued. "And, something scared me so I was running. The dark was everywhere, and I was trying to escape, and I saw where I could, but Iracebeth stopped me. The place I thought was the escape was the door….the door I came threw to get here. I think he wanted to bring me back, back to London.

"She told me once that he was stronger now, much, much stronger and…." She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and she saw that her hands were shaking. "That he wanted revenge. So, maybe that's why he's in London. He knows he can actually fight me there, but here I have too many friends."

"Is that why….is that why mother might be in the coma?" Margret whispered her voice small and fragile.

Alice couldn't meet her sister's gaze, but gave her a small nod. "And she's there because he knows I'll go up there to help her."

Margret shook her head to herself, and Lowell put an arm around her, then she did something very un-lady like. "Damn, that Tarrant. This is his entire fault…"

"Excuse me?" Irisa, Tarrant and, Alice said at the same time.

"It's that bloody Tarrant's fault that mother's in a coma, and McTwisp is still running around London all because of him!" Margret cried. "He's a monster."

"He is not!" Irisa cried, slamming her hands down on the table and standing up. "Your mother's in a coma because she wasn't strong enough to fight of the monster that has been terrorizing Iracebeth and Alice!"

"My mother is strong!" Margret yelled back. "And it is his fault and his alone because he's trying to exact his revenge on Alice. _His_ revenge."

"God, you are such a foolish girl!" Irisa yelled. "I swear, and honest twit to think that this is all-"

"My wife is not a twit. " Lowell bellowed. "If anyone here is foolish it's you and your outrageous and outlandish clothing, for thinking that this entire issue is anyone else's fault but-"

"My wife's clothing is not outlandish," Hatter said in a calm but furious expression, his eyes darkening. "You gutter scuttling-"

"Hatter!" Mirana exclaimed. "You shouldn't insult our guests, no matter what they believe even if it may be wrong."

"May be?" Margret asked, incredulously. "Is everyone here, bonkers? It's obviously Tarrant's fault because he's the one who's caused this mess."

"Would you please stop blaming this entire issue on Tarrant?" Nicholas yelled, and Alice was surprised to see that he was joining the fray. "It isn't his fault at all. So can we all just drop the-"

"Why should we stop blaming him, if he's the one to blame?" Lowell asked. "Nicholas, you're starting to sound as mad as the rest of these insane people!"

Now everyone was joining the fight, spewing arguments against Margret and Lowell about whose fault it was or wasn't before finally it wasn't an Alice stood, and screamed at the top of her lungs. "Quiet!"

**Ugh, arguments are a lot to write. Anyway, whose right? Who's wrong? Why is knowing shutting up, until Alice has to scream at the top of her lungs? Oh right, because that's how I wrote it. And, so far I know xXAustenGirlXx is still reading, good for her! Please review soon and I'll give you a shout out too. :)**


	34. Breathe

**Chapter 34, it's almost over. :'( But everything has to end. Oh well, okay so please review seriously, I misses you guys! Enjoy! **

Surprisingly, everyone was as they all turned to Alice and now was not the time for her to be staring down at her hands.

"We can't, keep fighting like this." Alice told them, meeting everyone's gazes for a moment. "We don't have time to and it's a waste. There's going to be a battle, much like the one against the Jabberwocky but this time it may be far worse and we shouldn't be wasting precious moments with blame." She turned to her sister, with a determined expression. "Whether we all like it or not, your part of this now and it isn't Tarrant's fault you are." Margret opened her mouth to disagree, but Alice kept going. "And it doesn't matter if he was. Whoever's fault this is, we have to fix it."

"You're right, Alice." Margret agreed, softly. "You're absolutely right."

Alice smiled, and walked over to her sister, putting a hand on her shoulder and gazing into her blue eyes. "Margret, you need to apologize to Tarrant, right now. If you're going to be part of this, your going to have to get along with everyone, okay?"

Margret nodded, but didn't say anything. And finally, Alice took a deep sigh. "Come on, Margret. Go do it."

"Alice," Margret whispered. "I can't."

Alice blinked and whispered back. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's impossible." Margret retorted

_God, _Alice thought. _Why is she being so difficult? _"Margret, you have too. It's not his fault and you can't just expect-"

"Alice," Margret interrupted, stubbornly. "I mean I can't apologize to someone if they aren't even here."

Now, Alice was dumbfounded.

"Um, Margret?" Nicholas asked, and now everyone turned to him. Maybe they could hear her and Margret's conversation, but Alice didn't care. She was still quite confused. "Tarrant is over there." He pointed at the Hatter, whose topaz eyes were still focused on the Kingsley girls.

Margret looked between the Hatter and Nicholas then back to the stranger and then her sister's friend before speaking in a hesitant voice. "That's not Tarrant."

Everyone was silent for a moment and Margret continued. "At least, that's not the Tarrant I'm speaking of. That Tarrant is still in London, and he looks nothing like him." She gestured faintly. "The Tarrant I know is much paler, and he has dark hair that falls over his left eye…"

It was then that Alice suddenly realized two things.

The first was that Stayne was a liar.

The second was that he was also a brilliant strategist.

"Oh," Alice breathed.

"Oh?" Irisa asked, raising a single delicate and dark eye brow. "Alice, I really must learn to translate the way your mind works, because I'm pretty sure you've just figured something out."

Alice grinned. "I did." She replied, still looking at her sister before she turned towards the rest of the group. "Stayne must have called himself Tarrant because he knew that eventually Margret and Lowell would find Wonderland and me. And, if she was cursing at Tarrant, everyone would probably argue at her hat it wasn't his fault, but she was dead set on knowing that it is."

"So…" Lowell started. "The man that we let into our home? The man who told us about this world?"

"Was a liar," Alice explained. "And wanted us all to fight so we would never be able to work together so we could be prepared for when he came back."

Another silence filled the room as everyone soaked in Alice's realization, and finally Margret broke the tense silence.

"I'm so sorry," She said, towards the Hatter. "I shouldn't have said such cruel things to you, or any of you for that matter. I hope you all forgive me for the way I acted.'

And just like that, everyone was apologizing towards each other and forgiving. There was no more anger or betrayal, and everyone was happy.

Except, the queen who had took Alice's position and was staring down into her laps, her lips pursed in confusion and it was an expression Alice knew.

"Mirana?" Alice asked, sitting down and the queen's head shot up, her eyes utterly lost and sad. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, Alice." Mirana said softly. "Of course I…"

"There's something else, isn't there?" Alice asked.

The queen nodded. "Yes, you see Absoulm and I were speaking before you returned and we decided that we need to take certain precautions if you decided to leave."

Conversation halted around them, but they both ignored it. "Like what?" Alice asked.

"Alice," Mirana sighed. "When -if- you leave, we agreed that it would be best to….close the looking glass.

The entire world stopped at that moment, but Alice felt herself go on in a cracked voice. "For, how long?"

"At least until Stayne returned." Mirana explained. "No one would be able to go through the hole and back up to the surface and…"

"And I wouldn't be able to come back." Alice said in a low voice.

"Not until Stayne returned, so that he wouldn't be able to loose anyone, and you wouldn't have to either." Mirana told her, and Alice knew who she meant. They'd lost McTwisp, and Margret and Lowell were down here. Who knew who else could fall down the hole to try to save Alice?

"But, only if I go back?" Alice whispered.

Mirana nodded. "If you stay, you'll help us train for the battle and we'll have to wait until Stayne decided to return."

Alice hitched a breath. "And my mother?"

"She needs to see you, Alice." Margret said, and the sister's locked eyes. "When ever someone said your name, her finger twitched, it was faint but she could hear it. It has to be you, it just has to be."

Alice blinked, and just breathed. It was something she never really took the time to think about, but at this point it was the only thing steady min her life. So she closed her eyes and just did that. Breathe.

"You see," Mirana told her, and Alice opened her eyes slowly. "You have to make a big decision, and it's something that will probably change all of our lives."

Alice nodded, and looked at the faces of her friends, and realized that they weren't just her friends. They were her family. And she would be heart broken to never see them again, or to see them die. This was going to be one of the hardest decisions of her life.

"Let me think about it," Alice whispered, standing up and clasping her hands together. "And I'll tell you in the morning."

**Big, decision time, what will she do? Is the suspense killing you? Sorry, you'll have to be a bit patient, or not if you're reading this and chapter 35 is already up. Review! and, btw thank you Dimitriluvrforeva for reviewing! **


	35. Come With Me?

**Chapter 35! You ready, because here it is! Enjoy, because I had so much fun writing it. Even if my hand is cramping up! And I had a stinking power outage! **

The moment Alice shut the door behind her, separating herself from the rest of her friends; she grabbed the edges of her dress and ran. She ran so fast that she could have probably beating Nicholas is they raced, but now it was something much more serious and finally she was at her room. She threw the door open and ran inside, shutting it behind her and locking it before she looked around her bedroom walls.

Could this be the last time she saw them for months or would she see them every day until she was driven mad? That was another possibility of Alice staying here, Stayne could drive her to insanity, just like Iracbeth. Just like Aunt Imogene.

She shook her head, ran her hands through her long blonde curls and finally stopped at the diamond necklace at her throat. Somehow it had managed to stay on her neck when she jumped, and she'd never taken it off. Now, she unhooked it and laid it down on the bed the crystals hitting the mattress with a tiny twinkle and Alice herself sat on the edge, lacing her head in her hands. It seemed that every time something good happened to Alice, something even worse was just around the corner.

_You know what you have to do, Alice. _She thought to herself_. So, just take a deep breath and do it, because you're the only who can. _

She sat up and went to pick up the necklace, but something caught her eye. On the back of it, there was an inscription. She picked it up and held it close, squinting to see the words.

_No matter where you go, _it said._ No matter what you do, and no matter who you are, you are never truly alone. Because no matter where you stand, what action you take, or you who you are, someone's love, is always with you so that you never have to face anything alone. _

The words were true, and they gave Alice strength, to stand and go into her closet, grabbing a small bag, similar to a duffle bad and pick it up, then pull out things she couldn't live without. She grabbed her blue cloak and packed a few things in the bag, her book, preventing herself to open it and go through the pages and a few plain-ish dresses to bring with her, and then she put the necklace on top, to keep with her as she went back to London.

Finally, she placed the bag on her bed and walked over to a small book case by her wardroom and ripped out a few free pieces of paper and pulled out a pen, and wrote three letters.

. . .

No one was out in the hallway when Alice snuck out, her cloak draped over her shoulders, her bag slung over a shoulder too and three letters in her hand. She ran towards the doors where she knew her friends would get them, and finally, nothing in her hands, she stopped in front of a door she swore she'd never go to again.

She raised her hand and knocked on it ever so softly, and with held breath it opened and she met a pair of blazing green eyes.

. . .

"Alice?" Tarrant asked, but she shook hr head and pressed a finger to her lips. She tried to look over his shoulder and /Tarrant whispered. "Irisa's not here, she's down with Margret."

"Good," Alice whispered, and ducked under the Hatter's arm, and shut the door behind her, leaving Alice and the Hatter nose to nose, with only inches apart in the dark. Finally, Alice took a step back, and walked over to the bed, slinging her bag onto the floor and sitting down on the edge.

"What are you doing?" Hatter whispered, as he walked over to a lamp and lit a candle, flaring light into the room. "And what is that?"

Alice shrugged and kicked the bag softly. "Some things I don't want to leave when I go to London."

"Oh," Had Alice imagined that the light in Hatter's eyes dim? "So you've decided to leave then?"

"I have too," Alice said, half to herself. "I know I do, and it's the right thing."

"Oh," Hatter repeated, and leaned against the door nonchalantly. "So, you've decicde3d to stop by and tell me goodbye, is that it?"

Alice sighed, and clasped her hands together. "No, Hatter. Not exactly."

"Then why?" Hatter asked. "After everything we've gone through the past few months, what could you possibly have to say to me? Alice I've hurt you so much, do you want me to apologize before you go? To get closure or something similar to that? Because if so, I'll gladly do it so you can go tell others goodbye, because I honestly don't want to keep you from-"

"Hatter," Alice interrupted, still looking down at her hands. "I'm not going to say goodbye."

"What?" Hatter asked, taking a step towards Alice and then another, until finally he was sitting next to her. "What do you mean?"

Alice took a deep breath. "I'm not going to say goodbye to everyone else."

"Why not?" Hatter asked, something panged in his heart, possibly sympathy or something else. "Is there not enough time or are you scared because-"

"They don't know I'm leaving yet," Alice admitted. "And won't know until I'm gone."

"What?" Hatter cried, too loud and Alice looked up at him furiously and fearfully for being caught. "Why would you do that?"

"I can't handle to say goodbye to them." Alice whispered, and looked back down. "So, by the time they find out I'm gone they won't be able too say goodbye or try to stop me."

"Why would they try to stop you?" Hatter asked, softly. Something was terribly wrong with Alice, that was for sure, and Hatter might be the only one to help her.

"They'd tell me that I can't do his alone, track down Stayne and help my mother and…and I have to help my aunt." Alice whispered, and took a deep breath as her voice grew unsteady.

Hatter put his fore finger under her chin and made her look up into his blue eyes. "Your aunt's in trouble too?"

"They sent her away," Alice admitted, and her eyes grew wet. "To an asylum and I need to find her and ask her things." She pulled away from Hatter, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Alice," Hatter told her as softly as possible. "I don't think you can do this alone."

Alice nodded. "I know I can't. And…that's why I'm here?"

"What?" Hatter asked.

Alice took a deep breath, and turned back to the Hatter, staring him straight in the eyes. "I want you to come with me to London."

**End of Book II **

**Yes, I leave you on one of my most amazing cliff hangers. So, what's going to happen? Will he say yes? Who were the three letters for? What does Alice want to ask Aunt Imogene, all will be revealed in the third, and hopefully last fan fiction for this story callled The Prince, The Battle and The Story (Might change title, still thinking) Fairfarren for now! **

**And, btw. I'm gong to post the three Letter's for chapter 36, so be on the look out. **


	36. The Last Letters

**As promised, here are the three letters Alice wrote to Mirana, Irisa and Nicholas. Enjoy! **

_Dear Mirana, _

_If you're reading this, then you've woken up and found that I've slipped this letter under your door. First I want to tell you that I'm sorry that I never said goodbye to your face, but I think we both know that I would never have been able to handle it. _

_As much as I want to stay, I need to do what is right and I need to find Stayne and get him back down to Underland where he belongs so we can finally end this. I hope you aren't disappointed in me for not staying, because I'm not. I was a hard decision to make, to choose between a need and a desire, but I think I've managed to do what's right. _

_Tell Margret and Lowell I'll see then when they get here, and when you read this I want you to go wake them up and get them on their way. You're the earliest riser so I suspect that n one else will be awake at this time, so it shouldn't be hard for you to get them home and lock the looking glass so no one can follow. _

_I have a lot of questions to answer, just like the first time I had to leave, except this time I hope it won't take as long as before. _

_Do you think that you could still send letter's through the looking glass? I think it would really help me if I could still talk to you when ever I have questions, but I hope you could just keep it between us. _

_Good luck getting ready for the battle; I know how you feel about them and I hope you keep my vopal sword ready for me. _

_Love, Alice. _

_. . . _

_Dear Irisa, _

_If you're reading his, then I'm gone. I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye to you, but I did want to leave you a letter. There's so much I want to say, but I have to hurry. I don't want anyone to wake up before I'm gone, and the looking glass is closed. _

_We've come a long way from you holding a sword to my throat, to helping me for my own Underlandian ball. You've taught me all the dances, and even made the most beautiful dress I've ever seen and you were even my first dance partner, and I can see why you like the Lobster Quadrille so much. I think it's one of my favorites too. _

_If you wake up looking for Tarrant and he isn't there, I have to apologize. If he is, disregard the rest of this note and remember that I love you like a sister, but even more then that. _

_Everyone knows that I can't do this on my own, even me so I need someone to go with me, and even though he hates me most of the time, I know he'll protect me. I know what your thinking, why did I ask him to go with me and not you, and for that, I have an answer I don't know if you'll accept but I hope you'll understand. _

_I know how much Hatter loves you, and even though you're both apart, I know you'll be able to handle it well enough to help Mirana train everyone for the battle ahead. I don't know if he's just as strong, but I don't have time to wait around and see, so I leave my trust in you and train you're hardest and get ready because we'll be back before you know it. _

_And remember, don't go easy on I know he doesn't know much about fighting, but he's a quick learner and I bet you're going to be a great teacher. Good luck. _

_Love, Alice. _

_. . . _

_Dear Nicholas, _

_I know that you're probably going to be mad, but I'm going to have to tell you anyway. I'm already gone, and I'm so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you in person. _

_You're my best friend, and I don't know if we'll ever be more then that, but I know that I love you a lot. I want you to get ready for the battle soon, and I told Irisa not to go easy on you when she teaches you to fight. Before you get angry, I left her a letter too. _

_I want to say so much, but I don't know what there is left to say. I don't have much time either, because I want to be gone before anyone is awake. Please don't try to follow me up, Mirana has hopefully closed the looking glass and you shouldn't beg her to open it again. _

_I need to do this, and you need to learn to fight, because I'm not going to be around to help you like you always help me when I fall. And don't be too mad at me, because I'll be back before you know it and when you learn to fight with a real sword, are arguments might be a little more interesting. _

_Love, Alice. _

**Hmm, I'm curious would you be pissed at Alice? Please review and tell me. And, thank you NTDWY and elactress, I always love your reviews. Btw, anyone else about to watch Alice in Wonderland on ABC family? Cause I am! **


	37. Before You Go!

**HELO READERS AND ANYONE ELSE WHO SEEMES TO STUMPLE UPON THIS LITTLE SIDE NOTE! **

**No, this is not chapter 37 this is a reminder, a little heads up because, YES finally the last book of my AiW fiction is up! And finally, all the answers will be revealed! **

**Such as…..**

**Will Stayne's tyranny finally come to in end? (In a huge battle that will be packed with tons of action and other thing-ies.) **

**Was Aunt Imogene's story just a story, or is there more to her that meets the eye? **

**Will Iracebeth ever be back to her own self, or will she be driven even madder?**

**Will Alice's appearance make her mother awaken from her super natural sleep? **

**And finally, to the question we've been waiting for….**

**Will Alice and the Hatter finally be together? **

**All these questions and probably more will be answered in The Prince, The Battle and The poem, and two chapters are already up, if you don't already know. Maybe you do, I don't know I'm not physic….or am I? **

**Happy reading! **


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